Meeting with Mamata terrific: Richard Verma

Stating that the meeting with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday was a terrific one, Richard Rahul Verma US Ambassador to India said: “US is exploring all those possible ways to work together with the Bengal government.”

Verma held a meeting with the Chief Minister from 3.10 pm for around half an hour on Wednesday.

Before leaving Nabanna, the state secretariat, Verma said: “We have discussed important issues, including educational linkages, trade and commerce.”

Mentioning that it was an honour and pleasure to meet the Chief Minister, he said: “We have also discussed about the important conference that we are having right now on regional connectivity.”

“Our main focus is to explore all those ways that we can work together, especially connecting our 

people in particular,” Verma said, adding there was also interaction with Banerjee on “incredible success in the US-India relationship particularly in the past two years and to read out the success in fields including defence, climate, green energy, trade and commerce and so many other areas”.

Sources said the state Finance minister Amit Mitra was also present during the meeting that increased the possibility of investment of US-based companies in the state.

Moreover, the meeting with the US Ambassador to India is of great significance ahead of the Bengal 

Global Business Summit where business delegations from different countries including China and Japan are coming to explore the business opportunities in Bengal.

Chief Secretary Basudeb Banerjee and Director General of Police Surajit Kar Purkayastha were also present in the meeting.

Sources said that the Chief Minister invited Verma to attend the Global Business Summit, scheduled to be held on January 20 and 21, 2017, in which a business delegation from US will be in attendance.

It may be mentioned that Hillary Clinton, the former US Secretary of State, had lavished praise on the state and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her passion for work and assured investment here.