Kolkata, Nov 3 (IANS) Acclaimed economist Professor Nirmala Banerjee passed away at a private hospital here on Friday. She was 87 years old.

She was the mother of the Nobel Laureate Indian economist Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee.

Incidentally, the economist arrived in the city this morning just hours before the demise of his mother at 12.35 p.m.

Professor Banerjee was suffering from age-related ailments for quite some time. As her condition became extremely critical on Thursday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee paid a visit to her at the hospital.

"Deeply saddened at the demise of Prof Nirmala Banerjee, renowned economist, and mother of Nobel laureate Prof Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee. She breathed her last today at Kolkata. I visited her at the hospital yesterday. I came to know Nirmaladi well and have many sweet memories now. Her demise is a great loss in our public life," the Chief Minister said in a statement.

An alumnus of economics from London School of Economics, Professor Nirmala Banerjee, was associated as a professor with the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Kolkata.

Her husband and the Nobel laureate’s father Dipak Banerjee, a PhD in Economics from London School was also associated as professor with Kolkata’s iconic Presidency College.