Parliamentary Committees

Which one of the following statements about the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Parliament is not correct?

[amp_mcq option1=”It examines the Finance Accounts of the Government of India.” option2=”Fifteen members of the Committee are elected by the Lok Sabha from amongst its members.” option3=”The Chairperson of the Committee is elected by its members.” option4=”In case a member of any other Committee constituted by the Government is elected to the PAC, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha decides whether he should continue to be a member of the former Committee.” correct=”option3″]

The Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is appointed by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, not elected by its members. By convention since 1967, the Chairperson of the PAC is appointed from the opposition party.

The PAC consists of 22 members, 15 elected by the Lok Sabha and 7 elected by the Rajya Sabha from amongst their members, by means of proportional representation by means of single transferable vote.

Statement A is correct; the PAC examines the annual audit reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) relating to the accounts of the Government of India, including appropriation accounts and finance accounts. Statement B is correct, reflecting the composition from Lok Sabha. Statement D is correct; the Speaker of the Lok Sabha has the authority to decide on conflicts regarding membership in committees constituted by the government.

Which one of the following statements with regard to the appointment of the Members of the Parliamentary Committee is correct?

[amp_mcq option1=”The Members are only appointed.” option2=”The Members are only elected.” option3=”The Members are only nominated.” option4=”The Members are appointed or elected on a motion made and adopted or nominated by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha or the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.” correct=”option4″]

The Members of Parliamentary Committees are appointed or elected on a motion made and adopted or nominated by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha or the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.

According to the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, members of various parliamentary committees can be constituted in several ways. This includes election by the House on a motion (as is often the case for financial committees like the Public Accounts Committee) or nomination by the presiding officer (Speaker in Lok Sabha, Chairman in Rajya Sabha) (as is common for many standing and ad hoc committees).

The specific method of constitution varies depending on the type of committee as defined in the rules of each House. Some committees are purely nominated by the presiding officer, some are elected, and others might follow a combination or specific process involving both the House and the presiding officer. Option D provides the most accurate general description covering the different methods used.

Which one of the following committees does not have members from the Rajya Sabha?

[amp_mcq option1=”The Public Accounts Committee” option2=”The Committee on Public Undertakings” option3=”The Estimates Committee” option4=”The Committee on the Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes” correct=”option3″]

The Estimates Committee is a standing committee of the Lok Sabha consisting of 30 members. All 30 members are exclusively from the Lok Sabha. It scrutinizes the estimates included in the budget and suggests economies in public expenditure.

The key distinction of the Estimates Committee is that it is the only one among the major financial committees (along with the Public Accounts Committee and Committee on Public Undertakings) that has no representation from the Rajya Sabha.

The Public Accounts Committee has 22 members (15 from Lok Sabha, 7 from Rajya Sabha). The Committee on Public Undertakings also has 22 members (15 from Lok Sabha, 7 from Rajya Sabha). The Committee on the Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes has 30 members (20 from Lok Sabha, 10 from Rajya Sabha).

Which of the following statements is/are correct ?

• 1. Committee on Estimates is an ad hoc committee of the Parliament.
• 2. Committee on Railway Convention is a standing committee of the Parliament.

Select the correct answer using the code given below :

[amp_mcq option1=”1 only” option2=”2 only” option3=”Both 1 and 2″ option4=”Neither 1 nor 2″ correct=”option2″]

Both statements are incorrect. The Committee on Estimates is a standing committee of the Parliament. The Committee on Railway Convention is typically considered an ad hoc committee, reconstituted periodically for a specific purpose, not a standing committee in the usual classification. Therefore, neither 1 nor 2 is correct.

Parliamentary committees are classified as either standing committees (permanent) or ad hoc committees (temporary, for specific purposes). The Estimates Committee is a prominent standing financial committee.

Standing committees exist on a permanent basis, while ad hoc committees are constituted for a specific task and cease to exist once the task is completed. The three main financial committees are the Public Accounts Committee, the Estimates Committee, and the Committee on Public Undertakings, all of which are standing committees. The Committee on Railway Convention is set up for the duration of each Parliament to review financial matters between Railways and General Revenues.