House Committees

Context: 

Eight members of the personal staff of Vice-President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar have been appointed to 20 committees that come within the ambit of the Upper House.

• The order released by the Rajya Sabha Secretariat on Tuesday, raised eyebrows, since there is no past precedent of personal staff working on the committees.
• Each Standing Committee has an official of the rank of Additional Secretary or Joint Secretary assisting in its functioning who also attends the meetings, which are strictly.

What are Committees of Parliament, and what do they do?

• A Parliamentary Committee is a panel of MPs that is appointed or elected by the House or nominated by the Speaker, and which works under the direction of the Speaker. 
  • It presents its report to the House or to the Speaker.
• Parliamentary Committees have their origins in the British Parliament. 
• They draw their authority from Article 105, which deals with the privileges of MPs, and Article 118, which gives Parliament authority to make rules to regulate its procedure and conduct of business.

What are the various Committees of Parliament?

• Broadly, Parliamentary Committees can be classified into Financial Committees, Departmentally Related Standing Committees, Other Parliamentary Standing Committees, and Ad hoc Committees.
• The Financial Committees include the Estimates Committee, Public Accounts Committee, and the Committee on Public Undertakings. These committees were constituted in 1950.
• Seventeen Departmentally Related Standing Committees came into being in 1993 to examine budgetary proposals and crucial government policies. 
• The aim was to increase Parliamentary scrutiny, and to give members more time and a wider role in examining important legislation.
• The number of Committees was subsequently increased to 24. Each of these Committees has 31 members — 21 from Lok Sabha and 10 from Rajya Sabha.
• Ad hoc Committees are appointed for a specific purpose. They cease to exist after they have completed the task assigned to them, and have submitted a report to the House.
• The principal Ad hoc Committees are the Select and Joint Committees on Bills. Committees like the Railway Convention Committee, Committee on Food Management and Security in Parliament House Complex, etc. also come under the category of Ad hoc Committees.
• Parliament can also constitute a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) with a special purpose, with members from both Houses, for detailed scrutiny of a subject or Bill. 
• Also, either of the two Houses can set up a Select Committee with members from that House. 
• JPCs and Select Committees are usually chaired by ruling party MPs, and are disbanded after they have submitted their report.

How are the Committees constituted, and how are their chairpersons chosen?

• There are 16 Departmentally Related Standing Committees for Lok Sabha and eight for Rajya Sabha; however, every Committee has members from both Houses. 
• Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha panels are headed by members of these respective Houses.
• There are other Standing Committees for each House, such as the Business Advisory Committee and the Privileges Committee. The Presiding Officer of each House nominates members to these panels. 
• A Minister is not eligible for election or nomination to Financial Committees, and certain Departmentally Related Committees.

Source: The Hindu