He's been a full time member of Parliament, elected twice each to the lower House, which is called the Lok Sabha and the upper House, which is called the Raja Sabha. As a Parliamentarian, he's been a member of several important committees like the Parliamentary Standing Committees on Finance, Home Energy, Urban Development, and the Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Finance. He's also conceptualized and spearheaded several initiatives
@ThinkTank · 0:24
I want to start this off by asking you after a decade of the Congressled UPA government from 2004 to 14, the Narendra Modi led BJP came into power with a sweeping majority in the year 2014 and thereafter returned to Th in 2019 with a stronger mandate and a bigger majority in Parliament. Mr. Panda, what is your reading of the second term of the BJP government so far
@ThinkTank · 0:32
With regard to the economy, there have been quite a few laws and policies which were passed in the last few years or so, but the most widely discussed among them are Demonetization and the goods and Services tax Panda. What has been the progress which you witnessed on the ground as a result of both of these policies and in the same context, going by our experience as a parliamentarian, what do you think is the most effective policy measure curb inequality in India
@ThinkTank · 0:17
There's been much said about this particular issue, both nationally and internationally. But what do you believe is the true intention behind the farm laws? And what would you say to opposition parties and the former groups who are questioning it
@ThinkTank · 0:16
From a health point of view, it really has been one of the most tumultuous and turbulent years that we've ever witnessed. And given the scale of the coronavirus crisis, I was wondering what your view was on the government's handling of the Pandemic endemic so far
@ThinkTank · 0:32
And finally, I was hoping you could reflect on some of your experiences with the BJP so far, what makes the party such a formidable force in elections? And as a follow up to that and keeping the broader picture of the ongoing elections in mind, what do you think is the biggest problem with politics in India today? And if you were to think about it from a ten year perspective and extrapolate current trends, what would you say is your overall vision for politics and the economy
2019 saw several such policies implemented by the Indian government, which had been pending for a long time and had broad support across the political spectrum for decades. Although in light of their implementation, there have been hypocritical reversals by some in opposition and subsequently over the last little more than a year, the Modi government has done extremely well in tackling the pandemic what had originally seemed a doomsday like scenario when around the world experts predicted the collapse of India with its less than stellar health infrastructure
But since then the system has been improved, has taken feedback from consumers and businesses, and has evolved into something that has eradicated most of the hindrances and flaws while retaining all the benefits. The proof of the pudding is that the States, which were complaining about the GST implementation since the beginning, no longer do so because they have all seen vastly increased revenues
Back in the 1950s Panda 60s, when India had food shortages and depended on aid from countries like the United States, these socialistic laws were implemented, putting controls on farmers, restricting them from selling their produce to whoever they wished so that they could only sell within their own district to government appointed agents. Since then and especially due to the Green Revolution, India has for half a century now become a hugely surplus grain producer
I've ended up talking about the Indian government's handling of the pandemic. In the first question, I'll just mention that India has done and continues to do better than most countries in handling the pandemic in terms of containing the damage, in terms of responding to the situation, by developing new capacities and in terms of skills scaling up its abilities to not just help Indians, but to help millions of people in dozens of other countries
As a result, you've seen over several decades the proliferation of parties dedicated to regions and to casts and even increasingly with blatantly questionable objectives in terms of equal rights to all citizens. As the Constitution guarantees, the BJP is dedicated to the vision of an India that is experiencing a Renaissance and the world's largest democracy as a Republic that is governed by the guiding principles of our Constitution
@ThinkTank · 0:34
I just want to say in conclusion, that the main goal of Swell is to have authentic conversations with the most informed voices about issues of global concern. Mr. Panda, you've given us a lot of insights into important topics and effectively highlighted where your party stands on crucial issues as well as your personal vision for politics. It has been a real pleasure speaking with you. And I want to thank you for giving us your time and patiently answering all the questions