List of committees of the Indian government
The Government of India has appointed a number of committees, a small group of officials appointed to deal with a particular domain or issue. These include the parliamentary committees established by the Parliament of India.
Parliamentary committees
The Parliamentary committees are established to study and deal with various matters that cannot be directly handled by the legislature due to their volume. They also monitor the functioning of the executive branch.[1]
The Parliamentary committees are of two kinds - Standing committees and Ad hoc committees. The former are elected or appointed periodically and they work on a continuous basis. The latter are created on an ad hoc basis as the need arises and they are dissolved after they complete the task assigned to them.[1]
Standing Committees
A Standing Committee is a committee consisting of Members of Parliament. It is a permanent and regular committee which is constituted from time to time according to the provisions of an Act of Parliament or Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business. The work done by the Indian Parliament is not only voluminous but also of a complex nature, hence a good deal of its work is carried out in these Parliamentary Committees.
Financial Standing Committees
There are three important Standing Committees dealing with financial affairs.[2]
- Public Accounts Committee: It examines various expenditure reports and accounts under the purview of the Parliament.
- Estimates Committee: It analyses the expenditure and revenue estimates of various departments. It may suggest alternative policies.
- Committee on Public Undertakings: It analyses the accounts, and workings of the public sector firms.
Department-related Standing Committees
As of March 2016, there are 24 Department-related Standing Committees (DRSCs). All of these have 31 members - 21 from Lok Sabha and 10 from Rajya Sabha.[3]
| S.No. | Committee |
|---|---|
| 1 | Committee on Commerce |
| 2 | Committee on Home Affairs |
| 3 | Committee on Human Resource Development |
| 4 | Committee on Industry |
| 5 | Committee on Science & Technology and Environment & Forests |
| 6 | Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture |
| 7 | Committee on Health and Family Welfare |
| 8 | Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice |
| 9 | Committee on Agriculture |
| 10 | Committee on Information Technology |
| 11 | Committee on Defence |
| 12 | Committee on Energy |
| 13 | Committee on External Affairs |
| 14 | Committee on Finance |
| 15 | Committee on Food, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution |
| 16 | Committee on Labour |
| 17 | Committee on Petroleum and Natural Gas |
| 18 | Committee on Railways |
| 19 | Committee on Urban Development |
| 20 | Committee on Water Resources |
| 21 | Committee on Chemicals and Fertilizers |
| 22 | Committee on Rural Development |
| 23 | Committee on Coal and Steel |
| 24 | Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment |
Other Standing Committees
As of March 2016, other Standing Committees are:[3]
| S.No. | Committee | Chairperson |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business Advisory Committee | |
| 2 | Committee of Privileges | |
| 3 | Committee on Absence of Members from the Sittings of the House | |
| 4 | Committee on Empowerment of Women | |
| 5 | Committee on Government Assurances | |
| 6 | Committee on Papers Laid on the Table | |
| 7 | Committee on Petitions | |
| 8 | Committee on Private Members' Bills and Resolutions | |
| 9 | Committee on Subordinate Legislation | |
| 10 | General Purposes Committee | |
| 11 | House Committee | |
| 12 | Joint Committee on Offices of Profit | |
| 13 | Joint Committee on Salaries and Allowance of MPs | |
| 14 | Library Committee | |
| 15 | Rules Committee | |
| 16 | Committee on the Welfare of Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes |
Ad hoc Committees
As of March 2016, the following Ad-hoc Committees are in operation:[3]
| S.No. | Committee | Chairperson |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Railway Convention Committee | |
| 2 | Committee on Provision of Computers to Members of Lok Sabha | |
| 3 | Committee on MP Local Area Development Scheme | |
| 4 | Committee on Ethics | |
| 5 | Committee on Food Management in Parliament House Complex | |
| 6 | Committee on Installation of Portraits/Statues of National leaders and Parliamentarians | |
| 7 | Joint Committee on Security in Parliament House Complex | |
| 8 | Joint Committee on Maintenance of Heritage Character and Development of Parliament House Complex | |
| 9 | Joint Committee to examine matters related to allocation and pricing of telecom licences and spectrum |
Notable Ad-hoc Committees established by executive order
Pre-independence
| Committee | Appointed in | Submitted report in | Mandate | Recommendations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rowlatt Committee | 1918 | 1918 |
After Independence
| Committee | Appointed in | Submitted report in | Summary | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shah Nawaz Committee | 1955 | 1956 | The three-member committee was formed by the Nehru-government to address the public demand to investigate the disappearance of Subhas Chandra Bose. The committee was led by Shah Nawaz Khan, and included Suresh Chandra Bose, brother of Subhas, and S. N. Maitra.[4] | The committee came to the conclusion that Bose was killed in a plane crash. But, Suresh Chandra Bose did not agree with the report.[5] |
| Balwant Rai Mehta Committee | 1957 | 1957 | Examine the working of the Community Development Programme and the National Extension Service | Establishment of the scheme of 'democratic decentralisation' (Panchayati Raj) |
| Ashok Mehta Committee | 1977 | 1978 | In December 1977, the Janata Government appointed a committee on Panchayati Raj institutions under the chairmanship of Ashoka Mehta. | The committee submitted its report in August 1978 and made 132 recommendations to revive and strengthen the declining Panchayati Raj system in the country |
| Narasimham Committee on Banking Sector Reforms (1998) | 1998 | 1998 | ||
| Sachar Committee | 2005 | 2006 | Examine social, economic and educational condition of the Muslim community of India | |
| Srikrishna committee on Telangana | 2010 | 2010 | ||
| Naresh Chandra Committee | 2012 | Defense reforms |
See also
References
- 1 2 "Parliamentary Committees". Parliament of India. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ↑ "Chapter 12: Committees of Parliament". Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs (India). Retrieved 11 March 2016.
- 1 2 3 "Parliamentary Committees: Introduction" (PDF). Lok Sabha. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
- ↑ Sugata Bose (2011). His Majesty’s Opponent. Harvard University Press. p. 314. ISBN 978-0-674-04754-9. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
- ↑ Kingshuk Nag (18 November 2015). Netaji: Living Dangerously. AuthorsUpFront. p. 29. ISBN 978-93-84439-70-5. Retrieved 11 March 2016.