Committees to Inquire, Scrutinise, Control, and Manage the House

🔍 Committees to Inquire

(These committees act like Parliament’s investigative and ethical watchdogs.)

1️⃣ Committee on Petitions

• Purpose: To act as the voice of the public inside Parliament.
• It examines:
  • Petitions on Bills (before or after introduction), and
  • Matters of general public importance related to Union subjects.
• It also considers representations from individuals and associations.
• Composition:
  • Lok Sabha: 15 members
  • Rajya Sabha: 10 members

💡 Meaning: If a citizen feels unheard, their petition can reach Parliament through this committee — a beautiful example of participatory democracy.

2️⃣ Committee of Privileges

• Purpose: To protect the dignity, rights, and authority of Parliament and its members.
• Nature: Semi-judicial.
• It examines cases of breach of privilege and recommends appropriate action.

Example: If someone insults Parliament, misrepresents proceedings, or obstructs an MP’s work — this committee investigates.

• Lok Sabha: 15 members
• Rajya Sabha: 10 members

💬 Think of it as the “disciplinary court” of Parliament.

3️⃣ Ethics Committee

• Purpose: To ensure ethical conduct and integrity among MPs.
• Origin:
  • Rajya Sabha: Constituted in 1997
  • Lok Sabha: Constituted in 2000
• It:
  • Enforces the code of conduct,
  • Examines cases of misconduct, and
  • Recommends disciplinary actions.
• Lok Sabha: 15 members
• Rajya Sabha: 10 members

In short, the Ethics Committee maintains the moral decorum of the House.

🕵️‍♂️ Committees to Scrutinise and Control

(These are Parliament’s “control panels” — ensuring the Executive uses its powers properly.)

1️⃣ Committee on Government Assurances

• Established: 1953
• Function: Tracks the promises, assurances, and undertakings made by ministers on the floor of the House.
  • Example: If a minister says, “We will implement this scheme within six months,” the committee checks if that was done.
• Composition:
  • Lok Sabha: 15 members
  • Rajya Sabha: 10 members

💡 In short: It converts political promises into administrative accountability.

2️⃣ Committee on Subordinate Legislation

• Established: 1953
• Function: Scrutinizes whether the delegated legislative powers (rules, regulations, bye-laws) given to the Executive are being used properly.
• Composition: 15 members in each House.

Remember, Parliament often passes enabling Acts, and the government fills in the details through rules and regulations.
This committee ensures that the Executive does not misuse this delegated power.

💬 You can call it the “watchdog of delegated legislation.”

3️⃣ Committee on Papers Laid on the Table

• Established: 1975
• Function: Examines all papers and documents laid on the table of the House by ministers.
  • It checks whether they comply with constitutional and legal requirements.
• Composition:
  • Lok Sabha: 15 members
  • Rajya Sabha: 10 members
• Note: It does not examine statutory notifications — that’s the job of the Committee on Subordinate Legislation.

4️⃣ Committee on the Welfare of SCs and STs

• Composition: 30 members (20 from Lok Sabha + 10 from Rajya Sabha).
• Functions:
  1. Examines reports of the National Commissions for SCs and STs.
  2. Reviews implementation of constitutional safeguards and welfare programmes for SCs and STs.

💡 Essentially, it ensures that social justice provisions translate into ground-level outcomes.

5️⃣ Committee on Empowerment of Women

• Established: 1997
• Composition: 30 members (20 LS + 10 RS)
• Functions:
  1. Studies reports of the National Commission for Women.
  2. Examines measures taken by the government to promote status, dignity, and equality of women.

💬 This committee reflects Parliament’s role in promoting gender-sensitive governance.

6️⃣ Joint Committee on Offices of Profit

• Purpose: To ensure that MPs do not hold any “office of profit” under the government.
  (Such offices can disqualify an MP under Article 102(1)(a) of the Constitution.)
• Composition: 15 members (10 LS + 5 RS)
• Function: Examines whether holding certain offices should disqualify members or not.

💡 In short, it protects the independence of MPs from executive influence.

🧭 Committees Relating to day-to-day Business of the House

(These ensure the Parliament’s daily functioning is smooth, disciplined, and time-efficient.)

1️⃣ Business Advisory Committee

• Function: Decides the schedule and time allocation for all business of the House.
• Lok Sabha: 15 members, chaired by the Speaker.
• Rajya Sabha: 11 members, chaired by the Chairman (Vice President).

💡 It is like the “time manager” of Parliament.

2️⃣ Committee on Private Members’ Bills and Resolutions

• Purpose: Deals with Bills and resolutions introduced by private members (i.e., non-ministers).
• Lok Sabha only: 15 members, chaired by the Deputy Speaker.
• Rajya Sabha: No such separate committee — its Business Advisory Committee performs this role.

💬 It ensures private members also get a voice in the law-making process.

3️⃣ Rules Committee

• Function: Examines and suggests amendments to the Rules of Procedure of the House.
• Lok Sabha: 15 members, chaired by the Speaker (ex-officio).
• Rajya Sabha: 16 members, chaired by the Chairman (ex-officio).

💡 This is Parliament’s “rule-making authority.”

4️⃣ Committee on Absence of Members

• Function: Examines applications for leave of absence, and cases where MPs are absent for 60 days or more without permission.
• Exists only in Lok Sabha (15 members).
• Rajya Sabha: Handles such cases directly in the House.

💬 It ensures MPs maintain attendance discipline.

🏠 House-Keeping or Service Committees

(These manage members’ amenities, facilities, and internal administration.)

1️⃣ General Purposes Committee

• Deals with miscellaneous matters not falling under any specific committee.
• Composition (varies slightly in both Houses):
  • Presiding Officer (Speaker/Chairman) as ex-officio chairperson,
  • Deputy Speaker/Deputy Chairman,
  • Panel of Chairpersons,
  • Leaders of recognized parties/groups,
  • Chairpersons of all Departmental Committees, etc.

💬 It functions as a “council of elders” for internal affairs of the House.

2️⃣ House Committee

• Manages residential accommodation and amenities (food, health, facilities, etc.) for MPs in Delhi.
• Lok Sabha: 12 members
• Rajya Sabha: 10 members

💡 Think of it as Parliament’s internal welfare committee.

3️⃣ Library Committee

• Manages the Parliament Library and helps members access information resources.
• Composition: 9 members (6 LS + 3 RS)

💬 It’s the intellectual backbone of Parliament, promoting research and informed debate.

4️⃣ Joint Committee on Salaries and Allowances of MPs

• Constituted under the Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members of Parliament Act, 1954.
• Composition: 15 members (10 LS + 5 RS)
• Function: Frames rules regarding MPs’ salaries, allowances, and pensions.

💬 Consultative Committees

(These are not “Parliamentary Committees” in the formal sense, but serve as informal bridges between MPs and ministers.)

🌿 Meaning and Purpose

• These are attached to each ministry.
• They include members from both Houses of Parliament.
• The minister in charge acts as the chairperson.

Their main role is to provide a forum for informal discussion between MPs and the concerned minister on policies, programmes, and implementation.

💬 Think of them as informal policy consultation groups.

⚙️ Composition and Procedure

• Constituted by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs.
• Membership is voluntary — MPs can choose which committee to join.
• Membership size: 10 to 30.
• They are reconstituted after every General Election (dissolved with each Lok Sabha).
• Meetings are held both during and between sessions.

Additionally, Informal Consultative Committees exist for each Railway Zone, comprising MPs from the concerned area.

📘 In Summary

Category	Example Committees	Main Function
Committees to Inquire	Petitions, Privileges, Ethics	Investigate & maintain discipline
Committees to Scrutinise & Control	Govt Assurances, Subordinate Legislation, SC/ST, Women, Offices of Profit	Oversight on executive & social justice
Committees on Day-to-Day Business	Business Advisory, Rules, Private Members’ Bills	Smooth functioning of Parliament
House-Keeping Committees	House, Library, Salaries	Facilities & internal administration
Consultative Committees	Attached to Ministries	Informal policy dialogue between MPs & Ministers

🧠 Conceptual Takeaway

1. Parliamentary Committees = Backbone of Legislative Oversight.
   They ensure Parliament’s control over the Executive is not just theoretical but practical and continuous.
2. They deepen democracy by:
   • Encouraging informed, non-partisan debate
   • Involving technical expertise
   • Strengthening executive accountability
3. Why important for Mains (GS-II)?
   You can conclude with this line:

“While Parliament enacts laws in public, it examines and refines them in private — through its committees.”
These committees transform Parliament from a talking shop into a working institution of governance.