Konyak becomes 1st woman member from Nagaland to preside over RS

NEW DELHI: Marking a significant moment in the history, Phangnon Konyak, first woman member from Nagaland in the Rajya Sabha, presided over the House on Tuesday. Earlier she had created history by becoming the first ever women member to be appointed to the panel of Vice- Chairpersons on July 17.

In a remarkable move to bring about gender equality, Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar last week had nominated four women members (50 per cent of the total number) to the panel of Vice-Chairpersons.

All the women members nominated to the panel are first term Parliamentarians and S Phangnon Konyak became the first ever woman from Nagaland nominated to the panel of Vice-Chairpersons. Konyak is also the first ever woman from Nagaland to be elected as a member of the Rajya Sabha.

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar made the announcement on Thursday about the nominated four women Parliamentarians to the panel of Vice-Chairpersons.

The panel reconstituted before the Monsoon Session contains a total of eight names, out of which half are women.

This is 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. Padma Shri awardee and a renowned athlete P.T. Usha along with S. Phangnon Konyak, Fauzia Khan and Sulata Deo are among the women Members nominated to the panel of Vice-Chairpersons. P.T. Usha was nominated to Rajya Sabha in July, 2022. She is a Member of the Committee on Defense, Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, and Committee on Ethics. S. Phangnon Konyak belongs to the Bharatiya Janata Party.

She is the first woman to be elected as Member of Rajya Sabha from Nagaland in April, 2022 and the second woman from the State to be elected to either House of the Parliament or the state assembly. She is a member of Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture, 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.

Fauzia Khan belongs to the Nationalist Congress Party. She was elected to the Rajya Sabha in April, 2020. She is a member of Committee on Empowerment of Women, Committee on Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Law and Justice. Sulata Deo belongs to Biju Janata Dal. She was elected to Rajya Sabha in July, 2022.

She is a member of Committee on Industry, Committee on Empowerment of Women, Joint Committee on Office of Profit, Committee on Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) and Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Women and Child Development. Apart from these women members, V Vijayasai Reddy, Ghanshyam Tiwari, L. Hanumanthaiah and Sukhendu Sekhar Ray have also been nominated to the panel of Vice Chairpersons.