Shashi Panja
Indian politician
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Shashi Panja is a doctor and politician who currently serves as Cabinet Minister for Industries, Commerce & Enterprises and Department of Women and Child Development and Social Welfare of the Government of West Bengal.
Shashi Panja | |
|---|---|
Panja delivering speech in Kolkata Book Fair c. 2025. | |
| Minister of Commerce and Industries Government of West Bengal | |
| Assumed office 28 July 2022 | |
| Chief Minister | Mamata Banerjee |
| Preceded by | Partha Chatterjee |
| Minister of Women, Child Development and Social Welfare Government of West Bengal as Minister of State (Independent Charge) (2013–2021) | |
| Assumed office 26 December 2013 | |
| Chief Minister | Mamata Banerjee |
| Preceded by | Sabitri Mitra |
| Member of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly for Shyampukur | |
| Assumed office 13 May 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Jiban Prakash Saha |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 4 October 1962 |
| Party | .svg){kind=small} All India Trinamool Congress |
| Spouse | Prasun Kumar Panja |
| Children | Pooja and Namrata |
| Alma mater | R. G. Kar Medical College and Hospital |
Early life
Panja was born in a Telugu family hailing from Tenali in Andhra Pradesh. Her father Pillalamari T Krishnaiyya was the Chief Industrial Engineer at Hindustan Motors & had settled in the town of Hindmotor. She did her MBBS from R. G. Kar Medical College and Hospital at Kolkata, with specialisation in ultrasound and infertility practice. She married Prasun Kumar Panja, son of the veteran politician Ajit Kumar Panja.[1][2][3]
Political career
Panja was elected a councillor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation in 2010 and was appointed mayoral council member in charge of education.[4]
She was elected to the West Bengal State Assembly from Shyampukur (Vidhan Sabha constituency) in 2011[5] and re-elected in 2016 and 2021 from same constituency.
She was inducted into the Council of Ministers of West Bengal as a minister of state and given independent charge of the women & child welfare ministry in December 2013.[6] In May 2014, she was given additional charge of the social welfare department.[7]
In 2021 she was sworn in as the cabinet minister as a part of the 21st Council of Ministers for the state of West Bengal under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee with the portfolios of Department of Women and Child Development and Social Welfare.
