Kolkata, Dec 21 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting the state for the National Ganga Council meeting, to be held in Kolkata on December 30, and she, too, will be attending it. Banerjee stated that she has received an invitation to the programme from the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.

"The prime minister is coming (to Bengal) on December 30. I was informed about it by Ports, Shipping, and Waterways ministry. They (ministry) have invited me to the programme. The minister rang me up. I can confirm that I will also join the meeting," Banerjee said at the state secretariat.

Also Read | Jharkhand Shocker: Furore Over Headmaster Forcing Students To Remove 'Dupatta' in Daltonganj School; Arrested Under POCSO Act.

She sought to know from an official of shipping ministry, who was present at the secretariat, if a venue has been selected for the programme.

A senior official of the Indian Navy informed her that the meeting is likely to be held at INS Netaji Subhas, which, besides being the 'base support ship' for all outlaying naval units, assists in progressive build-up for administration and logistics infrastructure.

Also Read | POCSO Act Needs To Be Amended To Allow Consensual, Non-Exploitative Relationship Between Older Adolescents: NCP MP Vandana Chavan to Government.

The council, formed under the Environment (Protection) Act, is tasked with the responsibility of preventing pollution and rejuvenating the Ganga river.

It has several ministers along with CMs of West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar and Jharkhand as members, with the prime minister as the president.

A source in the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said the state was not sure if chief ministers from other states would be attending the meeting.

The last meeting of the council was held in Kanpur in December 2019.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)