Parliamentary Committees of India: Types, Functions, PAC & DRSCs (Complete Guide)

HISTORICAL ORIGIN & CONSTITUTIONAL BASIS - Illustrative Reference

Government of India Act 1919 (Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms)
└── First Standing Finance Committee & Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Created in 1921
       │
       ▼ (26th January 1950 - Enactment of Indian Constitution)
Articles 105(3) & 118(1) Empower Parliament to Create Committees & Rules
       │
       ▼ (1950 & 1964 Developments)
Estimates Committee (1950) & Committee on Public Undertakings (COPU 1964) Established
       │
       ▼ (1993 Watershed Reform)
Creation of 17 Departmentally Related Standing Committees (Expanded to 24 DRSCs in 2004)

• Article 118(1): Each House of Parliament may make rules for regulating its procedure and the conduct of its business.
• Article 105(3): Powers, privileges, and immunities of each House of Parliament and of the members and committees of each House shall be such as may from time to time be defined by Parliament by law.

Parliamentary Committees of India
├── 1. Standing Committees (Permanent, reconstituted annually)
│      ├── Financial Committees (PAC, Estimates Committee, COPU)
│      ├── Departmentally Related Standing Committees (24 DRSCs)
│      ├── Committees to Inquire (Petitions, Privileges, Ethics)
│      ├── Committees to Scrutinize & Control (Subordinate Legislation, Government Assurances)
│      ├── Committees Relating to Day-to-Day Business (Business Advisory, Rules)
│      └── House Keeping Committees (House, Library, General Purposes)
└── 2. Ad-Hoc Committees (Temporary, created for specific task & dissolved after report)
       ├── Inquiry Committees (e.g. Joint Parliamentary Committee / JPC)
       └── Advisory Committees (Select or Joint Committees on specific Bills)

Financial Committees Architecture
├── 1. Public Accounts Committee (PAC): 22 Members (15 LS + 7 RS) | Chaired by Opposition MP
├── 2. Estimates Committee: 30 Members (ALL 30 FROM LOK SABHA ONLY) | Largest Committee
└── 3. Committee on Public Undertakings (COPU): 22 Members (15 LS + 7 RS) | Audits PSUs

• Composition: 22 Members (15 from Lok Sabha and 7 from Rajya Sabha).
• Election Method: Members are elected annually by Parliament from amongst its members according to the principle of Proportional Representation by Single Transferable Vote (PR-STV).
• Term: 1 Year.
• Chairman Appointment & Opposition Convention: The Chairman of PAC is appointed by the Speaker of Lok Sabha from amongst its members. Since 1967, an unbroken parliamentary convention mandates that the Chairman of PAC is selected from the OPPOSITION party in Lok Sabha.
• Ministers Excluded: A Minister CANNOT be elected as a member of PAC. If a member is appointed a Minister, he/she ceases to be a member.

• Composition: 30 Members (ALL 30 MEMBERS ARE ELECTED FROM LOK SABHA ONLY).
• Crucial Exam Fact: Rajya Sabha has NO representation whatsoever in the Estimates Committee! It is the largest Parliamentary Committee.
• Election Method: Elected annually from Lok Sabha via Proportional Representation by Single Transferable Vote.
• Term: 1 Year.
• Chairman: Appointed by the Speaker from amongst Lok Sabha members. The Chairman invariably belongs to the ruling party.
• Ministers Excluded: Ministers cannot be members.

• Composition: 22 Members (15 from Lok Sabha and 7 from Rajya Sabha).
• Election Method: Elected annually via PR-STV.
• Term: 1 Year.
• Chairman: Appointed by the Speaker from amongst Lok Sabha members ONLY. (Rajya Sabha members cannot be appointed Chairman of COPU).
• Ministers Excluded: Ministers cannot be members.

Evolution & Structure of DRSCs
├── 1993: 17 DRSCs established
├── 2004: Expanded to 24 DRSCs (16 under Lok Sabha + 8 under Rajya Sabha)
└── Composition of Each DRSC: 31 Members (21 Lok Sabha + 10 Rajya Sabha)

• Scope: Examines cases of breach of parliamentary privileges and contempt of the House by MPs or outside citizens (e.g., publishing false reports of proceedings, obstructing MPs in performance of duties).
• Semi-Judicial Powers: Can summon witnesses, order production of documents, and recommend punishment (reprimand, admonition, or imprisonment) to the House.

• Scope: Enforces the Code of Conduct for Members of Parliament, examining complaints of moral misconduct, corruption, or 'cash-for-query' allegations against sitting MPs.
• Landmark Enforcements: Examined the 2005 Cash-for-Query scandal leading to expulsion of 11 MPs, and the 2023 Ethics Committee inquiry recommending expulsion of a sitting MP for sharing digital login credentials with unauthorized commercial entities.

• Committee on Petitions: Examines petitions on bills and public importance. (15 LS members / 10 RS members).
• Committee on Privileges: Examines cases of breach of parliamentary privileges by MPs or outsiders. Semi-judicial in nature. (15 LS members / 10 RS members).
• Ethics Committee: Enforces Code of Conduct for MPs, examining complaints of misconduct. (15 LS members / 10 RS members).

• Composition: 15 Members in Lok Sabha and 15 Members in Rajya Sabha. A Minister CANNOT be a member.
• Core Scrutiny Mandate: Examines whether executive rules and statutory notifications framed under delegated powers:

• Impact: Acts as a vital constitutional check against bureaucratic overreach and executive law-making without parliamentary consent.

• Committee on Subordinate Legislation: Examines whether executive rules, regulations, and bylaws framed under statutory acts conform to original Parliamentary intent. (15 LS members / 10 RS members).
• Committee on Government Assurances: Tracks assurances, promises, and undertakings given by Ministers on the floor of the House. (15 LS members / 10 RS members).
• Committee on Welfare of SCs & STs: 30 Members (20 LS + 10 RS). Reviews SC/ST welfare schemes.
• Committee on Empowerment of Women: 30 Members (20 LS + 10 RS). Reviews women welfare programs.

• Composition: 15 Members (10 from Lok Sabha and 5 from Rajya Sabha).
• Core Function: Examines the composition and character of committees, boards, and statutory bodies set up by Central and State Governments to recommend whether holding an office in those bodies incurs disqualification for MPs.

• Composition: 15 Members elected from Lok Sabha ONLY.
• Core Function: Examines applications from Lok Sabha MPs for leave of absence from sittings of the House under Article 101(4). (Article 101(4) mandates that if an MP is absent for 60 days without permission, the seat may be declared vacant).

• Business Advisory Committee (BAC): Allocates time for discussion of legislative business. Chaired by Speaker in Lok Sabha (15 members) and Chairman in Rajya Sabha (11 members).
• Rules Committee: Recommends changes to House rules. Chaired ex-officio by Speaker in LS (15 members) and Chairman in RS (16 members).

• Consultative Committees: Attached to specific Ministries/Departments, chaired by the Cabinet Minister of that Ministry.
• Informal Discussion Forums: Created by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs to provide an informal forum for consultation between Ministers and MPs on policies.
• Not Parliamentary Committees: Consultative Committees do NOT possess formal parliamentary committee status because they are not appointed by the Speaker/Chairman, nor do they table reports in Parliament.

Ad-Hoc Committees
├── 1. Select / Joint Committees on Bills (Appointed to examine a specific legislative bill)
└── 2. Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) (Appointed to investigate major financial scams or scandals)

• Composition: Members are drawn from both Houses of Parliament in a 2:1 ratio (twice as many Lok Sabha MPs as Rajya Sabha MPs).
• Powers: Has vast powers to summon witnesses, demand confidential government files, take oral evidence, and inspect records.
• Famous JPCs in Indian History:

• Library Committee: 9 Members (6 from Lok Sabha nominated by Speaker + 3 from Rajya Sabha nominated by Chairman). Considers matters relating to Parliament Library services and research archives.
• Joint Committee on Salaries and Allowances of Members: 15 Members (10 from Lok Sabha + 5 from Rajya Sabha). Framed rules under the Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members of Parliament Act, 1954.

• Parliamentary Research and Training Institute for Democracies (PRIDE): Offers specialized briefing notes, statistical analysis, and comparative international legislative data to committee members prior to evidence hearings.
• Secretariat Verbatim Record Keepers: Verbatim reporters record every question asked to ministry secretaries and corporate witnesses during in-camera committee hearings, maintaining confidential verbatim transcripts.
• In-Camera Hearing Confidentiality: Committee proceedings are strictly confidential. No member or witness can leak committee evidence to the press prior to the official tabling of the report in Parliament.

• Composition: Attached to various Central Ministries, consisting of members from both Houses of Parliament.
• Chaired by: The Cabinet Minister or Minister of State in charge of the respective Ministry.
• Function: Provide a forum for informal discussions between Ministers and MPs on policies, programs, and administrative working of the Ministry.
• Status: Not statutory committees of Parliament; constituted by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs after each general election.

• Regulates the program and timetable of the House.
• Allocates time for transaction of legislative and other business brought before the House by Government.
• Lok Sabha committee has 15 members (chaired by Speaker); Rajya Sabha committee has 11 members (chaired by Chairman).

• Examines whether powers to make rules, regulations, bylaws, and schemes delegated by Parliament are being properly exercised by the Executive.
• Ensures delegated legislation does not exceed the scope of the parent Act passed by Parliament.
• Consists of 15 members in Lok Sabha and 15 members in Rajya Sabha; a Minister CANNOT be nominated to this committee.

• Constituted in 1953 in Lok Sabha (15 members) and Rajya Sabha (10 members).
• Scrutinizes assurances, promises, undertakings, and commitments given by Ministers from time to time on the floor of the House.
• Reports on the extent to which such assurances have been implemented within the stipulated standard time frame of 3 months.

• Regularly audits non-performing assets (NPAs) of public sector banks, capital adequacy ratios under Basel III norms, and cryptocurrency regulation frameworks in consultation with RBI and SEBI officials.

• Each DRSC consists of 31 members (21 nominated by Speaker from Lok Sabha, 10 nominated by Chairman from Rajya Sabha).
• A Minister is NOT eligible to be nominated as a member of any Standing Committee or Parliamentary Committee.

• Total DRSCs: 24 (16 under Lok Sabha Speaker; 8 under Rajya Sabha Chairman)
• Composition: Each DRSC has 31 members - 21 from Lok Sabha + 10 from Rajya Sabha
• Tenure: 1 year (annually reconstituted each autumn session)
• Ministers CANNOT be members of DRSCs - ensures executive-independence of scrutiny
• Scope: Can examine Bills referred to them, Demand for Grants, and policies/working of ministries
• Budget Coverage: DRSCs examine approximately 60-70% of all Union Budget demands for grants
• Non-binding nature: Reports are recommendatory; ministries must submit Action Taken Reports (ATRs)
• Examples of DRSCs: DRSC on Finance; DRSC on Home Affairs; DRSC on External Affairs; DRSC on Defence; DRSC on Agriculture

• Privileged Proceedings: All committee sittings are covered under parliamentary privilege. Leaking committee proceedings before the report is presented to Parliament constitutes a breach of privilege - punishable by the respective House.
• Ministers vs Civil Servants: No minister can be compelled to appear before a committee. However, civil servants and bureaucrats CAN be summoned to give evidence - making committees an indirect check on the executive.
• Non-binding Reports: Committee reports are purely recommendatory - the government is not legally bound to implement them. However, non-compliance invites political scrutiny.
• Action Taken Report (ATR): Ministries must submit an ATR within 6 months of a committee report being presented to Parliament. This is a key accountability mechanism.
• Parliamentary Privilege Protection: All verbal and written submissions before committees are fully protected under parliamentary privilege - witnesses cannot be prosecuted for their depositions.
• No Sub-Judice Bar: Unlike in courts, committees CAN examine matters that are sub-judice, giving them broader investigative latitude.