S. Phangnon Konyak
New Delhi: S. Phangnon Konyak became the first woman Rajya Sabha member from Nagaland to preside over the House today. Earlier she had created history by becoming the first-ever woman member to be appointed to the panel of Vice- Chairpersons on July 17, 2023.
The Chairman of Rajya Sabha, Jagdeep Dhankhar last week had nominated four women members (50% of the total number) to the panel of Vice-Chairpersons. Significantly, all women members nominated to the panel are first-term Parliamentarians.
The panel reconstituted before the Monsoon Session contained a total of eight names, and this was the first time in the history of the Upper House that equal representation has been given to women members in the panel of Vice-Chairpersons.
Konyak tweeted that she was “immensely privileged, humbled and overwhelmed” to preside over the Rajya Sabha today. He added that she was “Happy that it was a productive one with The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Fifth Amendment) Bill, 2022, having been passed by the House”.
The following are the details of the women Members nominated last week to the panel of Vice-Chairpersons.
P.T. Usha: She is a Padma Shri awardee and a renowned athlete. She was nominated to Rajya Sabha in July 2022. She is a Member of the Committee on Defence, the Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, and the Committee on Ethics.
S. Phangnon Konyak: She belongs to the Bharatiya Janata Party. She is the first woman to be elected as a Member of the Rajya Sabha from Nagaland in April 2022 and the second woman from the State to be elected to Parliament or State Assembly. She is a member of the Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture, the Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, Committee on Empowerment of Women, House Committee and Member, Governing Council of the North-Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences, Shillong.
Dr Fauzia Khan: She belongs to the Nationalist Congress Party. She was elected to the Rajya Sabha in April 2020. She is a member of the Committee on Empowerment of Women, Committee on Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, and Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Law and Justice.
Sulata Deo: She belongs to Biju Janata Dal. She was elected to Rajya Sabha in July 2022. She is a member of the Committee on Industry, the Committee on Empowerment of Women, the Joint Committee on Office of Profit, the Committee on Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) and the Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
– global bihari bureau
