NEW DELHI : In a historic move, Chairman, of Rajya Sabha, Jagdeep Dhankhar has nominated four women Parliamentarians to the panel of Vice-Chairpersons.

It is also noteworthy that all women members nominated to the panel are first term Parliamentarians and S. Phangnon Konyak is the first ever woman from Nagaland to be elected as a member of the Rajya Sabha.

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.

In another notable development, the Rajya Sabha Chair has become fully digital. The Rajya Sabha Chair will be using electronic tablets for matters related to the conduct of business in the House, attendance in the House, details of Members speaking, and other relevant information.

The following are the details of the women Members nominated 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 Defense, Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, and 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 either the House of the Parliament or the State Assembly.    

She is a member of the 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.

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 Committee on Empowerment of Women, Committee on Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, 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 Committee on Industry, 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.

Apart from the aforementioned women members, V Vijayasai Reddy, Ghanshyam Tiwari, Dr. L. Hanumanthaiah and Sukhendu Sekhar Ray have also been nominated to the panel of Vice-Chairpersons.