Cherie Blair, wife of British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Saturday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at his official residence here.

The meeting was a "courtesy call", officials said.

The prime minister hosted a lunch in her honour.

Cherie Blair is here to attend a charity banquet organised by the Loomba Trust set up by London-based millionaire businessman Raj Loomba in memory of his mother, Pushpawati Loomba.

The banquet is being held at Hotel Ashok Saturday to celebrate the 5th anniversary of the Trust, which was inaugurated by the then prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee in March 1999.

The charity banquet is the first fundraise of the Loomba Trust in India.

The trust, whose charitable activities include education of children of poor widows, is expecting over 600 guests, including senior politicians, diplomats, celebrities and leading business people both from India and Britain, the organisers said.

--Indo-Asian News Service