Did You Know? Mamata Banerjee was India's first-ever Sports Minister

West Bengal’s first woman Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee dons many hats. She is known for being a firebrand politician, a painter and even an author and a poet.

But did you know that she was also the first Sports Minister the country ever had? In 1991, Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao appointed Banerjee as the Union Minister of State for Human Resources Development, Youth Affairs and Sports, and Women and Child Development.

The 65-year-old has, on multiple occasions, showcased her love for sports. In fact, once when she was in Birbhum district for an administrative meeting, Banerjee took out time from her busy schedule to play badminton.

She then proceeded to post the video of herself having a good time on social media, just like anyone else would. "We love sports. A token game in a village," she wrote in the post.

https://twitter.com/MamataOfficial/status/1081146061442301952

Banerjee has always been an active proponent of sports, she penned the promo song for the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in 2017 and played a pivotal role in East Bengal's entry into ISL.

Also read: Inside Story: How Mamata Banerjee pioneered East Bengal’s ‘possible’ entry into ISL

She protested against the Government's indifference towards her proposal to improve sports in the country in a rally at the Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata, and then announced that she would resign. In 1993, she was discharged of her portfolios.

Apart from being the first Sports Minister of the country, Banerjee also previously served twice as the Minister of Railways, the first woman to do so. She is the first female Minister of Coal, and Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Youth Affairs, Sports, Women and Child Development in the cabinet of the Indian government.