Parliamentary Committees
Parliamentary Committees
The time at the disposal of the parliament is limited and also the expertise of understanding a particular issue is not available with all the parliamentarians. Thus, parliament in its full capacity can't make a very detailed scrutiny of all the legislative work and other issues that come before it and a good deal of parliamentary business is transacted through a small number of parliamentarians together known as parliamentary committee.
Parliamentary Committees are of two types -
- Standing Parliamentary Committee (Permanent)
- Ad Hoc Parliamentary Committee/Select Parliamentary Committee (Temporary)
Standing Parliamentary Committee - They are elected or formed almost every year or periodically and their work is based on continuous basis.
Ad Hoc Parliamentary Committee - It is appointed as the need arises to study a specific area or issue presented before the parliament. These committee ceases to exist as soon as they complete the task or study assigned to them.
Important Standing Parliamentary Committees
- Estimate Committee (30 members all from Lok Sabha)
- Public Account Committee (22 members, 15 from Lok Sabha and 7 from Rajya Sabha)
- Committee on Public Undertaking (22 members, 15 from Lok Sabha and 7 from Rajya Sabha)
- Committee on Private member (bill & resolution) of the Lok Sabha (15 members all from Lok Sabha)
- Business Advisory Committee of Lok Sabha (15 members all from Lok Sabha)
- Business Advisory Committee of Rajya Sabha (11 members all from Rajya Sabha)
- Departmental related Standing Committee (24 different departmental standing committees, 16 in Lok Sabha and 8 in Rajya Sabha)
Estimate Committee
- 30 members all from Lok Sabha
- Chairperson from Ruling party
- No minister is its member
- Financial advisor
Estimate committee consists of 30 members all from the Lok Sabha elected every year from within the members of the Lok Sabha on the basis of proportional representation (party representation) through single transferrable vote system.
Chairman of the committee belongs to the ruling party only as a convention and is appointed by the speaker.
The committee reports on what alternative policy can bring in financial efficiency and economy in the administration.
The committee suggests the form in which the estimate shall be presented to the parliament, whether money is laid within the limits of policy implied in the estimate.
A minister can't be a member of the committee.
Public Account Committee
- 22 members (15 from Lok Sabha and 7 from Rajya Sabha)
- Chairman from opposition party
- Study the report of the CAG
Public Accounts Standing Committee studies the appropriation and the finance account of the government, report of the CAG, ensures the public money is spend in accordance with the parliament's decision and calls attention to the areas of waste (misuse of money), loss or corruption in expenditure.
It has 22 members, 15 from Lok Sabha and 7 from Rajya Sabha.
The members of the committee are elected by the parliament every year from within the members of the house of the parliament according to the principle of proportional representation by means of single transferrable vote system. This way all the parties get their due representation in it.
The term of office of the member of the committee is 1 year.
Minister can't be elected as its member to maintain separation of power.
The chairman of the committee is appointed by the speaker from within the members of the committee. By convention the chairman of Public Account Committee is from the opposition party.
It was introduced in 1921, after its first mention in Government of India Act 1919.
Committee on Public Undertaking
- 22 members (15 from Lok Sabha and 7 from Rajya Sabha)
- Chairman is from Lok Sabha
- Study the report of CAG on PSUs
The committee examines the report of the CAG on PSUs.
It recommends whether the PSUs are being run efficiently and managed according to the sound business principles and prudent commercial practices.
The term of office of the members of the committee is 1 year and the ministers can't become its member.
The committee has got 22 members, 15 from Lok Sabha and 7 from Rajya Sabha.
Members are elected by the parliament every year from amongst its members according to the principle of proportional representation by means of single transferrable vote system.
Chairman of the committee is appointed by the speaker from amongst its member who is drawn from Lok Sabha only.
Committee on Private (bill & resolution) of Lok Sabha
- 15 members all from Lok Sabha
- Chairman - Deputy speaker of the Lok Sabha
It allocated the time to the bills introduced by the private members in Lok Sabha, examines the constitutional amendment bill before they are introduced by the private members in Lok Sabha.
Committee has 15 members from Lok Sabha and Deputy speaker of the Lok Sabha is the ex-officio chairman of the committee.
Business Advisory Committee of the Lok Sabha
- 15 members all from Lok Sabha
- Speaker is the ex-officio chairman of the committee
It recommended on the time table of the house and how much time can be allocated from each job pending before the house.
It has 15 members and all from the Lok Sabha and is headed by the Speaker.
Business Advisory Committee of the Rajya Sabha
- 11 members all from the Rajya Sabha
- Chairman of the Rajya Sabha is the ex-officio chairman of the committee
Rajya Sabha has its own business advisory committee which recommends how much time should be recruited on discussion of particular bill in Rajya Sabha.
It has 11 members all from the Rajya Sabha and the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha is the ex-officio chairman of the committee.
Departmental related Standing Committee
- 24 different departmental standing committees are there (16 in Lok Sabha and 8 in Rajya Sabha)
- Not given in the Constitution
- given by parliamentary law
At present we have got 24 different departmental related standing committee. Each committee can't have more than 31 members (maximum of 21 from Lok Sabha and 11 from Rajya Sabha).
Functions of these committees are -
- To prepare an annual report on the working of ministry
- Consider the demand of grant of various ministry
- Consider the policy document and bills related to a specific ministry which is presented to the house, if referred to the committee by the presiding officer of the respective house.
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Note - This is my Vision IAS Notes (Vision IAS Class Notes) and Ashutosh Pandey Sir's Public Administration Class notes. I've also added some of the information on my own.
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