Shashi Panja

Shashi Panja is a medical practitioner 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
Cabinet Minister, Government of West Bengal
Incumbent
Assumed office 10 May 2021
Governor	Jagdeep Dhankhar La. Ganesan (additional charge) C. V. Ananda Bose
Chief Minister	Mamata Banerjee
Department	Department of Women and Child Development and Social Welfare Department of Industries, Commerce & Enterprises
Minister of State (Independent Charge), Government of West Bengal
In office 2016–2021
Governor	Keshari Nath Tripathi Jagdeep Dhankhar
Department	Women and Child Development and Social Welfare
Chief Minister	Mamata Banerjee
Preceded by	Sabitri Mitra
Succeeded by	Herself (as cabinet minister)
Member of West Bengal Legislative Assembly
Incumbent
Assumed office 2011
Preceded by	Jiban Prakash Saha
Constituency	Shyampukur
Personal details
Born	(1962-10-04) 4 October 1962 (age 62) Calcutta (now Kolkata), West Bengal
Political party	All India Trinamool Congress
Spouse	Prasun Kumar Panja
Children	Pooja and Namrata
Residence(s)	250 Chittaranjan Avenue, Calcutta-700006
Alma mater	R. G. Kar Medical College and Hospital

Early life

Panja 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.

References

1. "Sashi Panja:HM's own girl". Drishtikon, 17 May 2011. 16 May 2011. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
2. "Election Watch Reporter". My neta. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
3. "লোকসভার নিরিখে এগিয়ে BJP, খেলা ঘোরাতে পারবেন অজিত পাঁজার পুত্রবধূ?".
4. "Know Your MLA". The Telegraph. 17 May 2011. Archived from the original on 25 July 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
5. "General Elections, India, 2011, to the Legislative Assembly of West Bengal" (PDF). Constituency-wise Data. Election Commission. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
6. "Three new ministers take oath at Raj Bhavan, state cabinet reshuffled". All India Trinamool Congress, 26 December 2013. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
7. "Bratya shifted to tourism, Partha new education minister, Mitra to see IT also". The Statesman. 28 May 2014. Archived from the original on 27 July 2014.