Chapter 09 · Issue archive
Public issues
Seven issues, each filed the same way: background, his documented position, the parliamentary record, sources, context and points of debate.
This archive describes and does not advocate. “Points of debate” summarises well-known arguments in each area. It does not assess Shri Panda’s positions.
Issue file 01
Digital rights
- Background
- Section 66A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, added by a 2008 amendment, made it an offence to send “grossly offensive” or “menacing” messages by computer. It became the subject of several arrests over social-media posts.
- Documented position
- In November 2012 Shri Panda wrote in Outlook about his private member’s bill to amend section 66A. He also published op-eds on net neutrality in 2015 and 2016.
- Parliamentary record
- He introduced the Information Technology (Amendment) Bill in the 15th Lok Sabha and again in the 16th. The bill was not taken up for passage.
- Relevant bills / questions
- Information Technology (Amendment) Bill (introduced 2013 and 2014)
- Sources
- Outlook, 29 Nov 2012 · TOI, 15 Apr 2015
- Context
- The Supreme Court struck down section 66A in March 2015 in Shreya Singhal v. Union of India. TRAI’s 2016 regulation on discriminatory data tariffs addressed net neutrality.
- Points of debate
- The debate over 66A weighed free expression against protection from online abuse. Those who supported regulating online speech argued that the internet needs specific offences. Critics argued the section’s terms were too vague.
Issue file 02
Data privacy
- Background
- India had no comprehensive data protection law until the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023. The Supreme Court recognised privacy as a fundamental right in 2017.
- Documented position
- A May 2017 op-ed said a comprehensive new privacy law was needed. In December 2023 he gave a keynote at the Global Technology Summit on India’s approach to data-protection regulation.
- Parliamentary record
- He introduced the Data (Privacy and Protection) Bill, 2017 on 21 July 2017. It lapsed with the 16th Lok Sabha.
- Relevant bills / questions
- Data (Privacy and Protection) Bill, 2017
- Sources
- TOI, 10 May 2017 · Swarajya on the 2017 Bill · ThePrint, 6 Dec 2023
- Context
- The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 is government legislation. His 2017 private member’s bill preceded it, but this archive does not claim that one led to the other.
- Points of debate
- The debates included how far the state should be exempt, how independent the regulator should be, and how much compliance would cost businesses.
Issue file 03
Technology & education
- Background
- Artificial intelligence, online child safety and digital education are growing subjects of parliamentary questions and legislation.
- Documented position
- ETV Bharat reported in August 2026 on two private members’ bills in his name, on online safeguards for children and on protecting personal likeness from AI misuse. It reported that both were listed but not yet introduced.
- Parliamentary record
- Questions in the 18th Lok Sabha on indigenous AI foundation models (1 April 2026) and on the National Digital University initiative (20 July 2026).
- Relevant bills / questions
- Listed, not yet introduced as of August 2026: a bill on children’s online safety, and the Protection of Personality Likeness from AI Misuse Bill, 2026
- Sources
- Unstarred Q. 6041 (PDF) · Starred Q. 2 (PDF) · ETV Bharat, Aug 2026
- Context
- A bill that is listed has not been introduced, and one that has been introduced has not been passed. None of the listed bills had advanced as of August 2026.
- Points of debate
- Age-verification proposals are debated in many countries. The main concerns raised are the privacy of verification data and whether it can be enforced in practice.
Issue file 04
Economic policy
- Background
- In 2025 the government introduced a new Income-Tax Bill to replace the Income-tax Act, 1961, and an amendment to the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016. Both were sent to select committees.
- Documented position
- In a July 2025 interview reported by Business Today, he described the 1961 Act as complicated. He said it was “64 years old and has undergone more than 4,000 amendments”.
- Parliamentary record
- Chaired both select committees. The Income-Tax Bill report was presented on 21 July 2025 and the IBC (Amendment) Bill report on 17 December 2025.
- Relevant bills / questions
- Income-Tax Bill, 2025 (replaced by the Income-Tax (No. 2) Bill, 2025) · Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Bill, 2025
- Sources
- PRS — Income-Tax (No. 2) Bill, 2025 · PRS — IBC (Amendment) Bill, 2025 · Business Today, 26 Jul 2025
- Context
- The bills are government legislation. Select committee recommendations go to the government, which decides whether to accept them. PRS reports that the Income-Tax (No. 2) Bill incorporated the committee’s recommendations.
- Points of debate
- Commentators debated how far the new tax law changed policy, as opposed to simplifying the drafting, and whether the rewrite would bring new uncertainty.
Issue file 05
Governance
- Background
- Disruptions to parliamentary sittings, simultaneous elections, and the independence of investigative agencies are recurring governance questions in India.
- Documented position
- Op-eds on House rules and disruptions (2014), on synchronising elections (2016) and on restructuring the CBI (2019).
- Parliamentary record
- Member of the Joint Committee on the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024 and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024. Earlier private members’ bills on fast-track courts for elected representatives and on the Representation of the People Act.
- Relevant bills / questions
- Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024 (government bill, referred to a joint committee)
- Sources
- TOI, 26 Nov 2014 · TOI, 21 Dec 2016 · TOI, 16 Jan 2019
- Context
- Joint committee proceedings are confidential until its report is presented. This page does not describe the committee’s deliberations or any position it has taken.
- Points of debate
- Simultaneous elections are contested. Supporters cite lower costs and less time spent campaigning. Opponents raise concerns about federalism and accountability, and about what happens when a legislature is dissolved mid-term.
Issue file 06
Public-sector accountability
- Background
- Central public-sector enterprises are accountable to Parliament through the ministries that administer them and through the Committee on Public Undertakings.
- Documented position
- No standalone public statement is recorded. His role here is institutional, as the committee’s chairperson.
- Parliamentary record
- Chairperson of the Committee on Public Undertakings since 14 August 2024, reappointed for 2026–27. He presented committee reports in March 2025, and further reports were presented in August 2025 and August 2026.
- Relevant bills / questions
- None. The committee’s reports are not legislation.
- Sources
- Lok Sabha — CoPU introduction (PDF) · Committee Work
- Context
- Committee reports are adopted by the whole committee, not by the chair alone. They are presented to Parliament and followed by action taken reports.
- Points of debate
- The effectiveness of parliamentary committees depends on how the government responds to their recommendations. That response is recorded separately, in action taken reports.
Issue file 07
Social development
- Background
- Child malnutrition and caste discrimination in public services remain issues in parts of India, including Odisha.
- Documented position
- Associated with the Citizens’ Alliance Against Malnutrition since 2007, according to his official biography. In February 2026 he visited the Nuagaon anganwadi centre in Kendrapara during a caste-related boycott and shared a meal prepared there.
- Parliamentary record
- Rule 377 matter in December 2024 on Odisha’s Green Energy Corridor. 18th Lok Sabha questions on PM-JANMAN, the National Rural Livelihoods Mission and Jal Jeevan Mission in Odisha.
- Relevant bills / questions
- Earlier private members’ bills include a Two Child Norm Bill (2009) and a bill on victims of Naxalite violence (2009).
- Sources
- Official biography (PDF) · Asianet Newsable, Feb 2026
- Context
- The Nuagaon boycott began in November 2025 and reportedly ended in February 2026. News reports do not attribute the outcome to any one person.
- Points of debate
- Population-control measures such as two-child norms have been criticised for their possible effects on women and marginalised groups.