Parliamentary Committees

Meaning

• Parliamentary committees assist the Parliament due to its unwieldy nature and the complexity/volume of its functions.
• The Constitution mentions these committees, but specific provisions are in the Rules of the Houses.
• A parliamentary committee must:
  • Be appointed/elected by the House or nominated by the Speaker/Chairman.
  • Work under the direction of the Speaker/Chairman.
  • Present its report to the House or Speaker/Chairman.
  • Have a secretariat provided by the Lok Sabha/Rajya Sabha.
• Consultative committees are NOT parliamentary committees as they do not fulfill the above four conditions.

Classification

• Parliamentary committees are of two kinds:
  • Standing Committees
    • Permanent (constituted every year or periodically)
    • Work on a continuous basis
  • Ad Hoc Committees
    • Temporary
    • Cease to exist upon completion of the assigned task

Standing Committees

• Classified into six categories based on functions:
  1. Financial Committees
     • Public Accounts Committee
     • Estimates Committee
     • Committee on Public Undertakings
  2. Department-Related Standing Committees (24)
  3. Committees to Inquire
     • Committee on Petitions
     • Committee of Privileges
     • Ethics Committee
  4. Committees to Scrutinise and Control
     • Committee on Government Assurances
     • Committee on Subordinate Legislation
     • Committee on Papers Laid on the Table
     • Committee on Welfare of SCs and STs
     • Committee on Empowerment of Women
     • Joint Committee on Offices of Profit
  5. Committees Relating to the Day-to-Day Business of the House
     • Business Advisory Committee
     • Committee on Private Members' Bills and Resolutions
  6. House-Keeping or Service Committees
     • General Purposes Committee
     • House Committee
     • Library Committee
     • Joint Committee on Salaries and Allowances of Members of Parliament

Ad Hoc Committees

• Divided into:

  1. Inquiry Committees
     • Constituted to inquire into and report on specific subjects.
     • Examples:
       • Railway Convention Committee
       • Committee on MPLADS
       • Joint Committee on Security in Parliament Complex
       • Committee on Provision of Computers to Members
       • Committee on Food Management in Parliament House Complex
       • Committee on Installation of Portraits/Statues in Parliament House Complex
       • Joint Committee on Maintenance of Heritage Character and Development of Parliament House Complex
       • Committee on Violation of Protocol Norms and Contemptuous Behaviour of Government Officers with Members of Lok Sabha
       • Committee on Welfare of Other Backward Classes
       • Committee to Inquire into the Improper Conduct of a Member
  2. Advisory Committees
     • Select or joint committees on bills.
     • Appointed to consider and report on particular bills.

• Procedure for Advisory Committees (Bills):

  • A motion is moved and adopted to refer a bill to a Select or Joint Committee.
  • If a Joint Committee is proposed, the other House is requested to nominate members.
  • The Committee considers the bill clause by clause.
  • Amendments can be moved.
  • Evidence from associations, public bodies, or experts can be taken.
  • The Committee submits its report to the House.
  • Members can append dissenting opinions.

Financial Committees

Public Accounts Committee

• Established in 1921.
• Composition: 22 members (15 from Lok Sabha, 7 from Rajya Sabha).
• Members elected annually by proportional representation (single transferable vote).
• Term: One year.
• A minister cannot be a member.
• Chairman selected by the Speaker, typically from the Opposition since 1967.
• Functions:
  • Examine annual audit reports of the CAG.
  • Examine public expenditure from legal and economic standpoints.
  • Specifically:
    1. Examine appropriation and finance accounts of the Union Government.
    2. Scrutinize appropriation accounts and CAG reports to ensure:
       • Money was legally available for the purpose.
       • Expenditure conforms to governing authority.
       • Re-appropriation followed rules.
    3. Examine accounts of state corporations, trading concerns, and manufacturing projects.
    4. Examine accounts of autonomous and semi-autonomous bodies audited by the CAG.
    5. Consider CAG reports related to receipts or examine stores and stocks accounts.
    6. Examine excess expenditure incurred during a financial year.
• The CAG assists the committee.
• Limitations:
  • Not concerned with policy questions.
  • Conducts post-mortem examination of accounts.
  • Cannot intervene in day-to-day administration.
  • Recommendations are advisory and non-binding.
  • No power to disallow expenditures.

Estimates Committee

• Origin: Standing Financial Committee (1921).
• First Estimates Committee: 1950 (John Mathai's recommendation).
• Composition: 30 members (all from Lok Sabha).
• Elected annually by proportional representation (single transferable vote).
• Term: One year.
• A minister cannot be a member.
• Chairman appointed by the Speaker from the ruling party.
• Functions:
  • Examine budget estimates and suggest economies.
  • Report on economies, improvements in organisation, efficiency, and administrative reform.
  • Suggest alternative policies for efficiency and economy.
  • Examine whether money is well laid out within the estimates' policy.
  • Suggest the form of estimate presentation.
• Limitations:
  • Examines budget estimates after they are voted.
  • Cannot question Parliament's policy.
  • Recommendations are advisory and non-binding.
  • Examines only select ministries/departments yearly.
  • Lacks expert CAG assistance.
  • Its work is a post-mortem.

Committee on Public Undertakings

• Created in 1964 (Krishna Menon Committee recommendation).

• Composition: 22 members (15 from Lok Sabha, 7 from Rajya Sabha).

• Elected annually by proportional representation (single transferable vote).

• Term: One year.

• A minister cannot be a member.

• Chairman appointed by the Speaker.

• Functions:

  1. To examine the reports and accounts of public undertakings
  2. To examine the reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General on public undertakings
  3. To examine (in the context of autonomy and efficiency of public undertakings) whether the affairs of the public undertakings are being managed in accordance with sound business principles and prudent commercial practices
  4. To exercise such other functions vested in the public accounts committee and the estimates committee in relation to public undertakings which are allotted to it by the Speaker from time to time

• The committee is not to examine and investigate any of the following:

  • Matters of major government policy
  • Matters of day-to-day administration
  • Matters for the consideration of which machinery is established by any special statute

• Limitations:

  • Limited number of public undertakings examined per year.
  • Post-mortem nature of work.
  • Lack of technical expertise among members.
  • Recommendations are advisory and non-binding.

Department-Related Standing Committees (DRSCs)

• Established in 1993 (17 committees), increased to 24 in 2004.

• Objective: Enhance Executive accountability to Parliament, particularly financial accountability.

• Covers all Central Government ministries/departments.

• Composition: 31 members (21 from Lok Sabha, 10 from Rajya Sabha).

• Members nominated by the Speaker (Lok Sabha) or Chairman (Rajya Sabha).

• Ministers are ineligible.

• Term: One year.

• 8 committees work under Rajya Sabha, 16 under Lok Sabha.

• Functions:

  1. Consider demands for grants of concerned ministries/departments.
  2. Examine bills pertaining to concerned ministries/departments.
  3. Consider annual reports of ministries/departments.
  4. Consider national basic long-term policy documents presented to the Houses.

• Limitations:

  • Should not consider day-to-day administration matters.
  • Should not consider matters considered by other parliamentary committees.
  • Recommendations are advisory and non-binding.

• Procedure for Demands for Grants Consideration:

  • Houses adjourn after general budget discussion.
  • Committees consider demands during the adjournment.
  • Committees report within the period.
  • The House considers demands in light of the reports.

• Procedure for Bill Examination:

  • Committee considers general principles and clauses of bills.
  • Committee considers bills introduced and referred to it.
  • The committee will make a report on bills in a given time

• Merits of the DRSC System:

  1. The proceedings are devoid of any party bias.
  2. Procedure is more flexible than in Lok Sabha.
  3. Parliamentary control over executive is more detailed and in-depth.
  4. Ensures economy and efficiency in public expenditure.
  5. Facilitates participation and understanding among Parliament members.
  6. Expert/public opinion can be incorporated into reports.
  7. Opposition parties and Rajya Sabha can play a greater role in financial control.

Committees to Inquire

• Committee on Petitions: Examines petitions on bills and matters of public importance.
• Committee of Privileges: Examines breach of privilege cases and recommends action.
• Ethics Committee: Enforces the code of conduct for members.

Committees to Scrutinise and Control

• Committee on Government Assurances: Examines assurances given by ministers.
• Committee on Subordinate Legislation: Examines delegated legislation.
• Committee on Papers Laid on the Table: Examines papers laid by ministers.
• Committee on Welfare of SCs and STs: Considers reports of the National Commissions and examines matters related to the welfare of SCs and STs.
• Committee on Empowerment of Women: Considers reports of the National Commission for Women.
• Joint Committee on Offices of Profit: Examines the composition and character of committees and other bodies appointed by the Central, state and union territory governments and recommends whether persons holding these offices should be disqualified from being elected as members of Parliament or not.

Committees Relating to Day-to-Day Business

• Business Advisory Committee: Regulates the programme and time table of the House.
• Committee on Private Members' Bills and Resolutions: Classifies bills and allocates time for discussion.

House-Keeping Committees

• General Purposes Committee: Advises on matters concerning affairs of the House.
• House Committee: Deals with residential accommodation and amenities.
• Library Committee: Considers matters related to the Parliament's library.
• Joint Committee on Salaries and Allowances of Members of Parliament: Frames rules for regulating payment of salary, allowances and pension to members of Parliament.
• Rules Committee: Considers the matters of procedure and conduct of business in the House and recommends necessary amendments or additions to the rules of the House.
• Committee on Absence of Members from the Sittings of the House: Considers all applications from members for leave of absence from the sittings of the House, and examines the cases of members who have been absent for a period of 60 days or more without permission.

Consultative Committees

• Attached to various Central Government ministries/departments.
• Provide a forum for informal discussions between ministers and MPs.
• Constituted by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs.
• The membership of these committees is voluntary and is left to the choice of the members and the leaders of their parties.
• The maximum membership of a committee is 30 and the minimum is 10.
• These committees are constituted after a new Lok Sabha is constituted, after General Elections for the Lok Sabha. In other words, these committees shall stand dissolved upon dissolution of every Lok Sabha and shall be reconstituted upon constitution of each Lok Sabha.
• Separate Informal Consultative Committees of the members of Parliament are also constituted for all the Railway Zones. The members of Parliament belonging to the area falling under a particular Railway Zone are nominated on the Informal Consultative Committee of that Railway Zone.