In a historic move, the Rajya Sabha has brought gender parity with the nomination of 50 per cent women members to the panel of Vice Chairpersons by reconstitution of the post.
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.
The announcements regarding the nominations of the four women Parliamentarians to the panel of vice chairpersons were made by Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Thursday, when the House assembled at noon on day one of the Monsoon Session.
All the women members nominated to the panel are first-term parliamentarians, and S Phangnon Konyak became the first woman from Nagaland nominated to the panel of vice chairpersons. Konyak is also the first woman from Nagaland to be elected as a member of the Rajya Sabha.
Padma Shri awardee and renowned athlete PT Usha, along with S. Phangnon Konyak, Fauzia Khan, and Sulata Deo, are among the women members nominated to the panel of vice chairpersons.
PT Usha was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in July 2022. She is a member of the Committee on Defense, the Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, and the Committee on Ethics.
S Phangnon Konyak 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 either the House of Parliament or the state assembly. She is a member of the Committee on Transport, Tourism, and Culture, the Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Development of the North Eastern Region, the Committee on Empowerment of Women, the House Committee, and the 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 the Committee on Empowerment of Women, the Committee on Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution, and the Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Law and Justice.
Sulata Deo belongs to the Biju Janata Dal. She was elected to the 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 Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Women and Child
Development.
