Indian Woman Minister To Visit N.Z. This Month

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28491, 22 January 1958, Page 12

Indian Woman Minister To Visit N.Z. This Month

(New Zedtand Press IXisa&attbn}

WELLINGTON, January ifc The Prime Minister (Mr Nash) said today that, he had invited Mrs Lakshmi Menon, the DeputyMinister for External Affairs of India, to visit New Zealand. He was pleased that Mrs Menon had been able to accept the invitation, and she would be in New Zealand from January 30 to February 3, he said. Mrs Menon, who was appointed Deputy-Minister last year, had been Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of External Affairs since 1952, and also had very wide experience at the United Nations, where she had represented India at sessipns of the General Assembly in 1948 and 1950. She had served on the United Nations Secretariat for more than a year as the chief of the section on the satus of women. Mr Nash said that-she was also a prominent leader in her own country. She was a member of the Upper House of Parliament, an officer of the All-India Women’s Conference, and took a wide interest in educational matters and in women’s activities in all fields. The Prime Minister said he was very much looking forward to meeting Mrs Menon and: to discussing with her the Indfan Government’s plans for economic and social development, as well as international affairs generally. He said he would also take the opportunity of renewing, through Mrs Menon, the longstanding invitation for Mr Nehru, the Indian Prime Minister and

Minister of External Affairs, to visit New Zealand whenever he I was able to do so. Mrs Menon, who will arrive in j Auckland on January 30, Will fly ‘ to Wellington the next day for talks with the Prime Minister and to meet other Cabinet Ministers. The Prime Minister will give a reception in her honour that afternoon. . On Saturday morning, Mrs Menon will leave Wellington by 1 car for Auckland. On the way ' she will have an opportunity of ' seeing something of New Zealand • farming methods and of develop- ’ ments taking place in other fields, 1 as well as visiting the geothermal j area and the Waitomo Caves. She 1 will leave Auckland by air on ; Monday, February 3