Maarg Manthan · Topic 17.7

Standing Committees and Parliamentary Committees in the News

Current Affairs & Government Schemes › Key Government Committees and Commissions · Topic 17.7

Parliamentary committees are small groups of members of Parliament that examine bills, budgets and government work in detail, because the full House has too little time. They are of two kinds, Standing Committees that are permanent and Ad Hoc committees formed for a specific task. The Departmentally Related Standing Committees, set up in 1993, now number 24 and each has 31 members, 21 from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha. Financial committees include the Public Accounts Committee, the Estimates Committee and the Committee on Public Undertakings. A Joint Parliamentary Committee is an ad hoc panel from both Houses.

6 min read · UPSC Prelims · Current Affairs & Government Schemes · Key Government Committees and Commissions

At a Glance

DRSCs 24 committees, from 1993, 31 members each
PAC 22 members, 15 Lok Sabha and 7 Rajya Sabha
Estimates Committee 30 members, Lok Sabha only
COPU 22 members, 15 and 7
JPC Ad hoc, both Houses
Exam link UPSC Prelims, Current Affairs and Government Schemes: Key Government Committees and Commissions

Where Does It Fit?

This topic extends the macro on committees to Parliament itself. It gives the background for the Joint Parliamentary Committees now considering simultaneous election bills and other laws. Previous topic: Reserve Bank of India Committees (Monetary Policy, Digital Lending, etc.). Next topic: National Commission for Backward Classes and Related Committees.

What Are the Main Parliamentary Committees?

Committee	Composition and role
Public Accounts Committee	22 members, 15 from the Lok Sabha and 7 from the Rajya Sabha. It examines the audit reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General and the appropriation accounts. By convention the chair is from the opposition
Estimates Committee	30 members, all from the Lok Sabha. It suggests economies and alternative policies and is called a continuous economy committee
Committee on Public Undertakings	22 members, 15 from the Lok Sabha and 7 from the Rajya Sabha. It examines public sector undertakings and their reports
Departmentally Related Standing Committees	24 committees from 1993, each with 31 members, 21 from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha. They scrutinise demands for grants and bills referred to them
Committee on Subordinate Legislation	Examines whether rules and regulations stay within the power given by the Act
Select and Joint Committees	A Select Committee is formed from one House for a bill, and a Joint Committee has members from both Houses

Which Committees Have Been in the News?

JPC on One Nation One Election: Formed in December 2024 with 39 members and chaired by P.P. Chaudhary to examine two bills on simultaneous polls. Its term was extended, as in Committees on One Nation One Election
JPC on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024: Chaired by Jagdambika Pal, it examined the bill and its changes were reflected in the law passed by Parliament in April 2025
JPC on the Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, 2025: The bill proposes removal of a Prime Minister, Chief Minister or minister who is under arrest for 30 days for a serious offence, as reported, and was referred to a JPC
JPC on the Jan Vishwas Bill: Examined the decriminalisation of minor offences in several laws
Earlier JPCs: Bofors in 1987, the securities scam in 1992, the stock market scam of 2001, the pesticide residues in soft drinks in 2003, and the 2G spectrum case in 2011
Standing Committee on Finance: Reviews the Union Budget demands and bills such as the Income Tax Bill, 2025, which was sent to a Select Committee
Reports: Committees give reports that are persuasive and not binding, but ministries file action taken reports
Typical triggers: A bill is referred to a committee by the Speaker or the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, or by a motion in the House

What Else Should You Remember?

Origin: Parliamentary committees draw authority from Articles 105 and 118, which deal with privileges of members and rules of procedure
Tenure: Standing Committees are reconstituted every year. Members serve for a term of one year in the DRSCs
Chair rule: Each committee chair is appointed by the Speaker or the Chairman from among its members. A Minister cannot be a member of the PAC, Estimates Committee or COPU
Rajya Sabha: The Rajya Sabha has no members on the Estimates Committee. It has members on the PAC and COPU
Referral of bills: Referral of bills to committees is not mandatory. Several recent bills were passed without referral, which critics note
Share of bills: The share of bills sent to committees fell sharply after 2014, according to PRS Legislative Research, so readers should check the current figures
Working: Committees meet in private, take expert views, and their proceedings are confidential until a report is tabled
Other panels: The Committee on Privileges, the Ethics Committee, the Rules Committee, the Business Advisory Committee, the House Committee, the Committee on Petitions and the Committee on Empowerment of Women are also relevant
Link with budget: Standing Committees examine demands for grants after the budget is presented, as in Economic Survey of India (Annual)
Use in exam: Questions ask for the number of members, the House of origin and the convention on the PAC chair

Why Does It Matter for the Exam?

Numbers: 22 and 15 plus 7 for PAC and COPU, 30 for Estimates, 31 and 24 for DRSCs
Nature: Standing versus ad hoc
PAC link: Works with the CAG
Recent JPCs: Waqf, one nation one election, 130th Amendment Bill
Common errors: Saying the Estimates Committee has Rajya Sabha members, or that a Minister can sit on the PAC

As an analytical point, committees are the place where Parliament does its detailed work in a less partisan atmosphere. Referring most major bills to them, and publishing their evidence, would improve the quality of legislation.

Why Is This Topic Important?

Numbers Common factual questions
JPC Often in news
Oversight GS Paper 2 theme

What Came Next?

The next topic covers the National Commission for Backward Classes. Next topic: National Commission for Backward Classes and Related Committees.

Key People and Terms

DRSC Departmentally Related Standing Committee
CAG Comptroller and Auditor General
Select Committee One-House panel for a bill
JPC Joint Parliamentary Committee
Action taken report Ministry reply on advice
Ad hoc committee Formed for one purpose

Exam Corner

Points to Remember

DRSCs: 24, from 1993.
PAC: 22 members.
Estimates Committee: 30, Lok Sabha only.
PAC chair by convention from the opposition.
JPC is ad hoc.

Do Not Confuse With

PAC and Estimates Committee Audit after spending versus economy before spending
Select and Joint Committees One House versus both Houses
DRSC and JPC Permanent versus ad hoc

Memory Hook

Twenty-two, thirty, thirty-one: PAC, Estimates, DRSC.

Mains Angle

Mains questions ask how committees improve law making. These points give a balanced frame.

Role Detailed scrutiny
Gaps Few bills referred
Way Mandatory referral

A Question You May Face

An original practice question, not a past paper question.

“Examine the role of parliamentary committees in legislative oversight and suggest reforms to make them more effective.”

How to Answer

Role Scrutiny of bills and spending.
Types Standing and ad hoc.
Gaps Few referrals.
Way Mandatory referral.

GS Relevance

Prelims: types, composition and functions of parliamentary committees, JPCs. GS Paper 2: Parliament and its committees, legislative oversight.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are parliamentary committees?

Parliamentary committees are small groups of members of Parliament that study bills, budgets and government work in detail. They are of two kinds, standing committees that are permanent and ad hoc committees formed for a specific purpose. They help Parliament examine matters that the full House has little time for.

How many Departmentally Related Standing Committees are there?

There are 24 Departmentally Related Standing Committees, set up in 1993. Each has 31 members, 21 from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha, and covers a set of ministries. They examine demands for grants and bills referred to them and are reconstituted every year.

What is a Joint Parliamentary Committee?

A Joint Parliamentary Committee is an ad hoc committee with members from both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, formed by a motion in one House and agreed to by the other. It studies a bill or an issue and is dissolved after its report. Recent examples include the Waqf bill and the simultaneous election bills.

What does the Public Accounts Committee do?

The Public Accounts Committee has 22 members, 15 from the Lok Sabha and 7 from the Rajya Sabha. It examines the audit reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General and the appropriation accounts to check that money was spent as Parliament authorised. By convention an opposition member chairs it.

Can a Minister be a member of the PAC?

No. A Minister cannot be a member of the Public Accounts Committee, and the same applies to the Estimates Committee and the Committee on Public Undertakings. This rule keeps the committees independent of the executive, whose spending and policies they examine on behalf of Parliament.

PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis

1 The Estimates Committee has members from both Houses.

False

It has 30 members, all from the Lok Sabha.

2 The Public Accounts Committee has 22 members.

True

15 from the Lok Sabha and 7 from the Rajya Sabha.

3 A Joint Parliamentary Committee is a permanent committee.