Parliamentary Committees

📖 Standing vs ad hoc committees

Parliamentary Committees derive their authority from Article 118 (each House's power to make rules for its own procedure) rather than a dedicated constitutional article. Standing Committees are permanent (reconstituted periodically); ad hoc Committees are created for a specific purpose and cease to exist once that purpose is fulfilled.

💰 The three Financial Committees

• Public Accounts Committee (PAC) — 22 members (15 Lok Sabha + 7 Rajya Sabha); examines the CAG's reports on government spending. By convention since 1967, it is chaired by a member of the Opposition.
• Estimates Committee — 30 members, Lok Sabha only; studies budget estimates for scope to improve efficiency and economy.
• Committee on Public Undertakings (COPU) — examines the working of public sector undertakings; added later and draws members from both Houses.

🏢 Departmentally Related Standing Committees (DRSCs)

Introduced in 1993, the 24 DRSCs each shadow one or more ministries — scrutinising bills, budget demands and policies in detail, well away from floor-level partisanship. This system is often called Parliament's move toward becoming a set of "mini-legislatures".