Parliamentary Committees

Parliamentary committees are smaller bodies of Members of Parliament constituted to examine matters that the full Houses cannot scrutinise continuously or in sufficient detail. Through specialised, cross-party examination of legislation, expenditure, administration and policy, they strengthen legislative scrutiny and executive accountability before reporting to Parliament.

Constitutional and parliamentary basis

Committees operate as instruments of the Houses within the constitutional scheme of responsible government. Article 75(3) makes the Council of Ministers collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha, while Article 118 permits each House to regulate its procedure and conduct of business.

• Parliamentary approval of demands for grants and appropriation under Articles 113 and 114 provides the basis for detailed financial scrutiny.
• The Houses determine committee membership, tenure, functions and procedure through their rules and directions.

Committee system and composition

Committees may be standing bodies constituted periodically or ad hoc bodies created for a specific task. Parliament has 24 Department-related Standing Committees, organised around ministries and departments.

• Each Department-related Standing Committee has 31 members, comprising 21 from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha, with a term not exceeding one year.
• Ministers cannot be members of these committees, helping preserve scrutiny of the executive.
• A House may constitute a Select Committee, or both Houses may form a Joint Committee, to examine a particular Bill.

Role of Department-related Standing Committees

Department-related Standing Committees connect specialised subject knowledge with continuing parliamentary oversight. They examine Bills only when referred by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha or Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, so committee scrutiny is not automatic.

• A committee may examine a referred Bill clause by clause, assess its policy and administrative implications, question officials and receive expert or stakeholder evidence.
• Its smaller, cross-party setting permits sustained, evidence-based deliberation that is difficult during limited floor debate.
• Its report can identify defects, clarify likely consequences and recommend amendments, thereby informing subsequent debate and voting in Parliament.
• Committee recommendations are generally advisory rather than binding; the Houses retain final authority to pass, amend or reject legislation.

Executive and financial accountability

Department-related Standing Committees also examine ministries' demands for grants, annual reports and long-term policy documents. They do not consider matters of day-to-day administration.

• The Public Accounts Committee examines appropriation and finance accounts and reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General.
• The Estimates Committee suggests economies, organisational improvements and alternative policies for efficient administration.
• The Committee on Public Undertakings examines the reports, accounts and CAG reports relating to public undertakings.
• Action-taken reports sustain follow-up, but effectiveness depends on timely referrals, information, research support and executive responsiveness. Committees cannot replace voting by the Houses, ministerial responsibility or judicial review.