Process to re-constitute parliamentary committees started | Current Affairs | Vision IAS
News Today Logo

Process to re-constitute parliamentary committees started

Posted 29 Jun 2024

2 min read

Motions in the Lok Sabha were moved to constitute the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and Estimate Committee (EC).

  • These committees are part of the financial committees of the Parliament.

About Parliamentary committees

  • These are of two kinds: Ad hoc Committees and the Standing Committees.
  • Ad hoc Committees: These are appointed for a specific purpose and cease to exist when they finish the task assigned to them.
  • Standing Committees: These are permanent and regular committees which are constituted from time to time.
    • The Financial Committees, Departmentally Related Standing Committees (DRSC), and some other Committees like Committees on Subordinate legislation come under it.

Significance of Parliamentary committees

  • Acts as Parliament’s watchdog over the executive.
  • Provide a forum for building consensus across political parties.
  • Help in scrutinization of the bill properly before it is passed.
  • Provide technical expertise to parliament to understand complex matters.

Challenges

  • Few bills are referred, lack of attendance of MPs in Committee meetings, do not have full-time technical expert support, poor number of sittings, etc.

Public Accounts Committee

  • First set up in 1921 in the wake of the Montague-Chelmsford Reforms.
  • Consists of not more than 22 members (15 members from Lok Sabha and 7 from Rajya Sabha).
  • Function: auditing the revenue and the expenditure of the Government of India.  

About Estimate committee

  • Constituted for the first time in 1950 and consists of 30 members from Lok Sabha.
  • Functions: to suggest alternative policies to bring about efficiency in administration.
    • to examine whether the money is well laid out within the limits of the policy implied in the estimates, etc.
  • Tags :
  • Public Accounts Committee
  • Parliamentary Committees
  • Estimate Committee
Watch News Today