Parakat Achutha Menon (2 January 1905 – 10 August 1975) was an Indian civil servant and diplomat who served as India's first minister to Portugal, and subsequently served as ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg and West Germany.

Parakat Achutha Menon
Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Portugal
In office
19 November 1949 – 1 August 1951
Preceded byEmbassy established
Ambassador of India to Belgium and Luxembourg[1]
In office
11 October 1951 – 1953
Preceded byNedyam Raghavan
Succeeded byK. K. Chettur
Personal details
Born(1905-01-02)2 January 1905
Died10 August 1975(1975-08-10) (aged 70)[2]
Madras (now Chennai), Tamil Nadu, India

Career

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Educated at the University of Madras and New College, Oxford, Menon subsequently sat the Indian Civil Service exams and passed into the batch of 1929 with effect from 9 October.[3] Among his fellow batchmates were Bhagwan Sahay, later Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, and Humphrey Trevelyan, who also became a diplomat.[4] Arriving in India in November 1929,[3] Menon initially served in the Madras Presidency, and was appointed a sub-collector in May 1931 and an under-secretary in the provincial Public Works Department in January 1934.[3] In April 1937, he was appointed under-secretary in the Home Department of the central government.[3] In July 1943, he was posted to the United States as a deputy secretary and later secretary with the Indian Supply Mission.[3]

On 19 November 1949, Menon was appointed India's first minister to Portugal.[5] On 1 August 1951, he was appointed chargé d'affaires at the embassy in Italy.[6] On 11 October 1951, he was appointed ambassador to Belgium, and Luxembourg.[7] He later served as ambassador to West Germany before his retirement in 1964.

References

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  1. ^ "Embassy of India: Belgium, Luxembourg & the European Union". Embassy of India: Belgium, Luxembourg & the European Union. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
  2. ^ Lal, Sham, ed. (1977). "General Compendium: Deaths". The Times of India Directory and Yearbook, Including Who's Who. Bombay: The Times of India Press. p. 262.
  3. ^ a b c d e The India Office and Burma Office List: 1947. Harrison & Sons, Ltd. 1947. p. 273.
  4. ^ "No. 33549". The London Gazette (Supplement). 5 November 1929. p. 7078.
  5. ^ "Part I-Section 2" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 21 January 1950. p. 116.
  6. ^ "Part I-Section 2" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 18 August 1951. p. 251.
  7. ^ "Part I-Section 2" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 24 November 1951. p. 349.