Complete UPSC GS2 notes on Parliamentary Committees — Standing, Public Accounts and Estimates Committees, structure, functions and solved PYQs in one frame. Verified facts only.

Parliamentary Committees: Quick Answer (Lead Answer Block)

Parliamentary Committees in India: UPSC GS2 Notes with PYQs

In one line: Parliamentary Committees in India are sub-sets of Parliament that examine budgetary demands, bills, and government accounts in detail — and this page fixes the composition, functions, and chairman conventions of the PAC, Estimates Committee, COPU, and the 24 DRSCs in a single frame, with solved PYQs at the end.

Quick answer: Parliamentary Committees are of two types — Standing Committees (permanent, constituted every year, e.g., the 24 Departmentally Related Standing Committees, PAC, Estimates Committee, COPU) and Ad hoc Committees (temporary, dissolved after the task is done, e.g., Select and Joint Parliamentary Committees on specific bills or inquiries). The PAC has 22 members (15 Lok Sabha + 7 Rajya Sabha), chaired by an opposition member since 1967 by convention, and examines CAG audit reports. The Estimates Committee has 30 members, all from the Lok Sabha, chaired by a ruling-party member, and suggests economies in expenditure. The DRSCs — 24 committees of 31 members each (21 LS + 10 RS), ministers barred — scrutinise Demands for Grants and referred Bills. Read the classification notes first, then the comparison table, then attempt the PYQ drill at the end.

Why Parliamentary Committees Matter in GS2

Parliamentary Committees sit at the intersection of three high-yield GS2 themes: separation of powers, accountability of the executive to the legislature, and parliamentary functioning/reforms. UPSC has asked about them directly in prelims (PAC composition, DRSCs) and repeatedly in mains — “the scrupulous scrutiny of demands for grants has been replaced by ritual” type questions. When a mains question says “Parliamentary committees are the backbone of legislative oversight,” it is this cluster of committees the examiner is pointing at. Master the numbers, the chairman conventions, and the one-word mandate of each committee, and you convert a confusing cluster into guaranteed marks.

Types of Parliamentary Committees: Constitution and Legal Basis

Parliamentary Committees are creatures of the Constitution and the Rules of Procedure of the two Houses:

• Article 105 — powers, privileges and immunities of Parliament, its committees, and members.
• Article 118 — each House may make rules for regulating its procedure and conduct of business; the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha (Rules 253–345 cover committees) constitute the committees.
• Article 106 — salaries and allowances of members of committees where applicable.

Classification (the exam-tested pair):

• Standing Committees — permanent and regular, reconstituted from time to time (annually). Sub-types: (a) Financial Committees — PAC, Estimates Committee, COPU; (b) DRSCs; (c) other House committees (Business Advisory, Privileges, Petitions, Rules, Ethics, Government Assurances, Subordinate Legislation, etc.).
• Ad hoc Committees — appointed for a specific purpose and cease to exist when the task is completed and the report is submitted. Examples: Select/Joint Committees on a Bill, Joint Parliamentary Committees (JPCs) on inquiries like the stock market scam or the securities scam JPCs of 1992 and 2001.

Standing Committees: Structure and Composition — The 24 DRSCs

The Departmentally Related Standing Committees (DRSCs), first constituted in 1993 (17 committees; expanded to 24 in 2004), are the workhorses of legislative scrutiny:

• Number: 24 DRSCs.
• Strength: 31 members each — 21 from Lok Sabha + 10 from Rajya Sabha (nominated by the Chairman, Rajya Sabha; LS members elected/nominated per party strength).
• Ministers barred: A minister cannot be a DRSC member; if a member is appointed minister, membership ceases.
• Term: One year; reconstituted annually.
• Chairman: Appointed from among the members by the Speaker/Chairman.

How Standing Committees Work: The Committee Cycle

Each DRSC covers a set of ministries and departments. Its functions under the Rules:

• Demands for Grants: Consider the Demands for Grants of concerned ministries and report — but cannot cut demands (the committee suggests; the House decides).
• Bills referred: Examine Bills referred to it by the Speaker/Chairman and report.
• Annual reports: Consider annual reports of ministries.
• Long-term policy documents: Examine national policy statements presented to the House, where referred.

Timelines: Reports on Demands for Grants within a stipulated period (the committee is given the demands and must report before the House takes them up); bills and other matters carry report deadlines set in the reference itself. Crucially, the DRSC’s term continues year-round — unlike plenary sittings, committees work between sessions.

Public Accounts Committee (PAC): Composition and Functions

• Composition: 22 members — 15 from Lok Sabha (elected) and 7 from Rajya Sabha (nominated).
• Chairman: Appointed by the Speaker; since 1967, by convention from the opposition (a deliberate device of executive accountability).
• Ministers barred from membership; a minister-appointed member vacates the seat.
• Term: One year.

Functions: The PAC examines the annual audit reports of the CAG on the Consolidated Fund of India, appropriation accounts, and finance accounts of the Union government — it goes behind the figures, checking whether money spent was legally available and spent for the purpose voted. It is a post-mortem, not a policy, body: it examines how money was spent, not how much ought to be spent. It cannot issue directions, only recommend; its real teeth are publicity and follow-up — the “action-taken” reports.

Estimates Committee: Composition and Functions

• Composition: 30 members — all from Lok Sabha, elected by proportional representation (single transferable vote). Rajya Sabha has no representation because the committee scrutinises estimates relating to Demands for Grants, on which only the Lok Sabha votes — money bills and grants are the Lok Sabha’s exclusive domain.
• Chairman: Appointed by the Speaker; by convention, from the ruling party.
• Term: One year; ministers barred.

Functions: Suggest economies in public expenditure, improvements in organisation and efficiency, and suggest alternative policies to bring efficiency and economy in administration. It examines the budget estimates, not CAG reports — this is the single most examined trap (examiners love pairing “Estimates Committee — examines CAG reports” as a false statement).

Committee on Public Undertakings (COPU)

• Composition: 22 members — 15 Lok Sabha + 7 Rajya Sabha (mirror of PAC).
• Chairman: Appointed by the Speaker; conventionally from the ruling party (mirror of Estimates Committee).
• Term: One year; ministers barred.

Functions: Examines the reports and accounts of public sector undertakings (PSUs) and CAG audit reports on PSUs; examines whether PSUs are managed with sound business principles and prudent commercial practices. It does not examine government policy or matters of day-to-day administration, and by convention does not examine matters of major Government policy or commercial undertakings falling under other committees.

PAC vs Estimates Committee vs COPU: Comparison Table

Read this table once tonight and once the night before the exam — it is the highest-yield block on this page.

Session Work and Timelines: How Much Do Committees Really Work

Committees sit round the year, including inter-session periods — which is why committee effectiveness dominates reform debates. The pattern critics cite: Parliament meets roughly 60–70 days a year while committees meet far more often collectively; yet a large share of Demands for Grants gets guillotined without committee scrutiny in rush years, and only a small fraction of bills is referred to committees in recent Lok Sabhas (over 70% of bills in the 17th Lok Sabha were not referred, against over 70% referred in some earlier Lok Sabhas). Key timeline facts:

• DRSCs must report on Demands for Grants before the House takes them up (reports typically within about a month of reference).
• PAC examines CAG reports as they are laid on the table; action-taken statements are then laid and reviewed.
• All financial committees have a one-year term with annual reconstitution.

Use this in mains: committees extend scrutiny beyond session time, but effectiveness depends on referrals, attendance, research support, and follow-up on action-taken.

Solved Previous Year Questions (Prelims + Mains)

Q1. Prelims: With reference to the Public Accounts Committee, consider the following statements: (1) It examines the audit reports of the CAG. (2) Its chairman is, by convention, from the ruling party. (3) It has members from both Houses.
Answer: Statements 1 and 3 only. Statement 2 is wrong — since 1967 the PAC chairman is from the opposition. This “chairman convention” is the examiner’s favourite trap.

Q2. Prelims: The Estimates Committee consists of —
Answer: 30 members, all elected from Lok Sabha. Any option pairing “Rajya Sabha” or “22 members” is the planted distractor.

Q3. Mains (pattern): “The Public Accounts Committee is the watchdog of public finance but has been called a toothless watchdog.” Discuss.
Frame: Intro — constitutional basis (Arts 105/118, Rules of Procedure), 22-member composition, opposition chairmanship since 1967. Body — functions: CAG report scrutiny, appropriation accounts, action-taken follow-up. Weaknesses: post-mortem only, recommendatory, dependence on CAG, no follow-up teeth. Conclusion — strengthen through time-bound action-taken response, research staffing, and synergy with CAG.

Q4. Mains (pattern): “Parliamentary committees have become an engine of detailed scrutiny but suffer from declining bill referrals.” Examine.
Frame: DRSCs 1993 — 24 committees, 31 members, year-round scrutiny, budget and bill examination; then the leak — falling percentage of bills referred, vacancies, absenteeism, lack of research support; conclude with reforms (mandatory referral norm, greater secretariat autonomy).

Answer-Writing Framework and Quick Revision Points

10-line revision capsule — read once tonight, once after prelims:

1. Two types: Standing (permanent) vs Ad hoc (temporary).
2. Basis: Articles 105, 118 + Rules of Procedure.
3. 24 DRSCs since 1993; 31 members (21 LS + 10 RS); ministers barred; term one year.
4. DRSCs examine Demands for Grants, referred Bills, annual reports — cannot cut demands.
5. PAC: 22 (15 LS + 7 RS); chairman from opposition since 1967.
6. PAC examines CAG audit reports — post-mortem, not policy.
7. Estimates Committee: 30, all Lok Sabha; chairman from ruling party; suggests economies; never examines CAG reports.
8. COPU: 22 (15 LS + 7 RS); ruling-party chair; PSU reports and CAG reports on PSUs.
9. All financial committee terms: one year.
10. Mains hook: committees = year-round oversight; weak link = referrals and follow-up.

Mains structure: Intro — definition + constitutional basis (Art 118, Rules). Body — classification, composition data (numbers impress examiners), functions, then the effectiveness debate with one current data point. Conclusion — committees as “mini-parliaments”; reform, not replacement, is the answer.

Source of record for numbers and rules: Lok Sabha official website and PRS Legislative Research — verify the latest committee reconstitution before the exam.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee?

Since 1967, by convention a member from the opposition party chairs the PAC. The committee has 22 members — 15 from Lok Sabha and 7 from Rajya Sabha — with the chairman appointed by the Speaker.

Can a Rajya Sabha member be part of the Estimates Committee?

No. All 30 members are drawn from Lok Sabha only, because the committee scrutinises Demands for Grants, on which only the Lok Sabha votes. The chairman belongs, by convention, to the ruling party.

How many Departmentally Related Standing Committees are there?

There are 24 DRSCs, each with 31 members (21 from Lok Sabha and 10 from Rajya Sabha). Ministers cannot be members, and the committees were first constituted in 1993.

What is the main function of the Public Accounts Committee?

The PAC examines the annual audit reports of the CAG on the Consolidated Fund of India and government accounts — checking legality and purpose of expenditure, not policy.

What reports does the Estimates Committee examine?

It does not examine CAG reports. It examines budget estimates and suggests economies and improvements in the organisation and efficiency of expenditure, including alternative policies.

Related reading

• Fundamental Rights vs Fundamental Duties: How Far Are Duties Enforceable? Landmark Cases Explained
• Current Affairs September 17, 2026: Daily Exam Digest with Static Linkages for UPSC & SSC

Related explainers

Current Affairs One-Liners: September 18, 2026 — Quick Revision Points for UPSC, SSC, Banking and CLAT

Fundamental Rights vs Fundamental Duties: How Far Are Duties Enforceable? Landmark Cases Explained

Current Affairs September 17, 2026: Daily Exam Digest with Static Linkages for UPSC & SSC