All About Parliamentary Committees

The Parliamentary committees are an essential part of the governance of India. They support the legislature in the discharge of its duties. Their work includes supervision, control, and vigilance, and they share the workload of the legislature. Also, the Parliamentary committees in India offer better insight into the issues in discussion. And they provide detailed analysis and scrutiny. There are two types of Parliamentary committees: Parliamentary standing committee and Ad Hoc Committee. Article 118 of the Indian Constitution deals with any subject related to these committees. Here, we discuss all Parliamentary committees of India with their types, including the Financial and Departmental Committees.

Standing Committees

The Parliamentary standing committee is a type of parliamentary committee. It is a permanent committee. They work regularly and are formed by Acts of Parliament. They are subdivided into six parts:-

Financial Committees

The financial committees are divided into six parts

Public Accounts Committee

The PAC was set up in 1921. They examine the annual reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. They consist of 22 members, 15 from Lok Sabha and 7 from Rajya Sabha. And elected by two houses. Also, the chairman is the appointment by the speaker from the opposition party.

Estimate Committees

They were set up in 1950. It works to check annual budget estimates to report the efficiency of the existing economic policies. It consists of 30 members, and Lok Sabha elected them for one year. The ruling party elects the chairman by the speaker of the Lok Sabha. 

Committee on Public Undertakings

They were set up in 1964. The works of this committee to check reports of the Public Undertakings. Also, they analyze the reports of the CAG on public undertakings. They consist of 22 members, 15 from Lok Sabha and 7 from Rajya Sabha. The two houses elected them for one year. And the chairman is elected by the Speaker of Lok Sabha. 

Departmental Standing Committees

The Departmental Standing committee is 24. The 16 are under the jurisdiction of the speaker of the Lok Sabha, and 8 are under the jurisdiction of the speaker of the Rajya Sabha. Each has 31 members( 21 from Lok Sabha and 10 from Rajya Sabha). They check the bills of the concerned ministry. And work on annual reports of the ministries and the demand for grants of the concerned ministries. 

Committees To Inquire

The parliamentary committees of India under Committees to inquire have three parts:-

• Committee on Petitions
• Committee of Privilege
• Committee on Ethics

 Committees to Scrutinize and Control

The parliamentary committees of India under the Committees to Scrutinize and Control has been divided into six parts:-

• Committee on government assurances
• Committee on subordinate Legislation
• Committee on Papers laid on the table
• Committee on the welfare of SC’s and ST’s
• Committee on Empowerment of Women
• Joint Committee on Offices of Profit

 Committees relating to the day-to-day business of the House

The Committees relating to the day-to-day business of the House are categories into four parts:-

• Committee on Private Members’ Bills and Resolutions
• Business Advisory Committee
• Committee on the absence of members
• Rules Committee

 House-Keeping Committees

The parliamentary committees of India under housekeeping committees or service committees are divided into four parts:-

• House Committee
• Library Committee
• Joint Committee on Salaries and Allowances of Members
• General Purposes Committee

The members of general-purpose committees are:-

The presiding officer, Deputy Speaker, Members of the panel of chairpersons, Chairpersons of all the departmental standing committees of the House, and Leaders of recognized parties. 

Ad-Hoc Committees

The Ad-Hoc Committees are temporary. It is the type of parliamentary committee. They are divided into two parts:- Inquiry Committees and Advisory Committees. 

Inquiry Committees

The Inquire committees are appointed by a house or by the speaker of the House. Some examples of Inquire committees are:-

Joint Committee on Bofors Contract

Joint Committee on Fertilizer Pricing

Joint Committee to Inquire into Irregularities in Securities and Banking Transactions. 

 Advisory Committees

The Advisory committees are an appointment for matters related to bills. They are directed by the speaker of Lok Sabha and Chairman of Rajya Sabha and follow the rules of procedure. When bills pass in either Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha, they refer to the select committee.

Conclusion

From the above discussions, we learn about the parliamentary committees of India. The parliamentary committees are a necessary part of governance. The work on influencing the policies of the government. They are the interface between the government and the people. In addition to this, it creates the executive accountable to the legislature. We know from the above that there are two types of Parliamentary committees: Parliamentary standing committee and Ad Hoc Committee. And these committees have been categorized into many parts. So, know about these parts and the subject covered by the Standing and Ad hoc committee. It helps you to understand the parliamentary committees of India.