PROCEDURE OF PARLIAMENT......

1. PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEES IN INDIA
Overview
• Since Parliament needs to perform substantial functions in limited time, it cannot go into the
details of every legislative and other matter that comes before it
• For this reason, Parliamentary Committees are constituted to study in detail the legislative
and other matters that come before Parliament
• Committees can be appointed in both Houses of Parliament, and their roles and functions are
more or less similar
Functions of the Committees
• To consider the Demand for Grants of various Departments/Ministries and make reports to
the Houses
• To examine Bills that are referred to the Committee by the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha
• To study annual reports of various Ministries and Departments
• To consider policy documents presented to the Houses if/when referred to the Committee by
the Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha
TYPES OF COMMITTEES
Ad hoc Committees
• They are appointed for a specific purpose and cease to exist when the task is finished
•They can either belong to one particular Parliament House or be a joint committee
• There are two types of Ad hoc committees
O Committees appointed either by a motion in Parliament or by the Speaker/Chairman to
enquire into a specific subject
O Select or Joint Committees on Bills. These Committees are constituted to study and report on
specific Bills
• Examples of Ad hoc Committees: Committees on Draft Five Year Plans, Railway Convention
Committee, Fertilizer Pricing Committee etc
Standing Committees
• Standing Committees are Committees appointed every year or periodically, and their
work goes on in a continuous basis
• The three most important Standing Committees (which deal with finance) are worth
special mention
O Committee on Estimates
O Committee on Public Accounts
O Committee on Public Undertakings
• Additionally, there are 24 Departmentally Related Standing Committees that deal with
affairs of a specific Department/Ministry

2. IMPORTANT COMMITTEES
Departmentally Related Standing Committees
• There are a total of 24 Departmentally Related Standing Committees (DRSC)
•The DRSCs were first introduced in 1993 in a batch of 17, and a further 7 were added in 2004
• Each of these Committees consists of no more than 45 members. 30 are to be nominated from
the Lok Sabha and 15 from the Rajya Sabha
•Ministers are not eligible to be nominated to these Committees
•The term of the Committee is one year
Committee on Estimates
• Consists of 30 members elected from the Lok Sabha
• Ministers are not eligible for election to this Committee
•The term of the Committee is one year
•Primary functions include
O report what improvements in organisation, efficiency or administration can be made
O suggest policies to bring about improvements in efficiency and economy
• the Committee can select and study estimates pertaining to any Ministry or government body
as it may see fit
• Committee can also examine matters of special interest that come up or are referred to it by
the Speaker
Committee on Public Accounts
• Consists of 22 members: 15 elected from the Lok Sabha and 7 from the Rajya Sabha
• Ministers are not eligible for election to this Committee
• Term of office is one year
• Primary function is to determine if money granted by the Parliament has been spent by the
Government within the scope of the Demand
• The Committee bases its examinations on the Appropriation Accounts of the Government and
the Audit Reports presented by the Comptroller and Auditor General
• The Committee is not concerned with policy, but only with execution of the policy and its
results
Committee on Public Undertakings
• Consists of 22 members: 15 elected from the Lok Sabha and 7 from the Rajya Sabha
• Ministers are not eligible for election to this Committee
• Term of office is one year
Functions of the Committee include
O Examine reports and accounts of Public Undertakings
O Examine reports of the CAG on Public Undertakings
O Examine whether Public Undertakings are being managed with sound business principles and
prudent commercial practices

3. • The Committee does not examine government policy or day-to-day administration of the
Undertakings
Committee House of Function(s) Notes
Parliament/
Composition
1 Business Advisory Lok Sabha Recommends the The Speaker is the
Committee 15 (including amount of time to ex-officio
Speaker) be allotted Chairman
for business in Members are
Parliament nominated by the
Speaker
Committee
generally meets
at the beginning
of each Session
2 Committee on Lok Sabha Allot time to The Deputy
Private Members’ 15 (including Dy Private Members’ Speaker is the ex-
Bills and Speaker) Bills and officio Chairman
Resolutions Resolutions Members are
Examine Private nominated by the
Members’ Bills Speaker
seeking to amend
the Constitution
before
introducing them
in Lok Sabha
Examine all
Private Members’
Bills after they are
introduced
but before they
are taken up for
consideration
Classify the Bills
based on their
matter, urgency
into
Category A or
Category B
3 Rules Committee Lok Sabha Considers matters The Speaker is the
(15 including of procedure and ex-officio
Speaker) conduct of Chairman
business in the Members are
House nominated by the
Recommends Speaker
amendments to

4. the Rules of
Procedure and
Conduct
of Business in Lok
Sabha
4 Committee of Lok Sabha Examines every Members are
Privileges 15 question nominated by the
regarding breach Speaker
of privilege of the
House
or of members of
any Committee
Determines
whether breach
of privilege was
involved and
makes
Recommendation
s
5 Committee on Lok Sabha Examine all Members are
Papers Laid 15 papers laid on the nominated by the
on the Table table of the Speaker
House by
Ministers
Report to the
House whether
there has been
compliance of the
Constitution
Report whether
there has been
unreasonable
delay