The Importance of Parliamentary Committees
Distilled Policy Brief
- Departmentally Related Standing Committees (DRSCs) are permanent bodies consisting of 21 members from Lok Sabha and 10 from Rajya Sabha, established to provide technical expertise and bipartisan scrutiny of ministries.
- DRSCs examine Bills, budgets, including Demands for Grants, and subject-specific policy issues, compensating for the limited time available for detailed debates on the floor of the House.
- Although committee recommendations are non-binding, they carry substantial weight and have successfully influenced major legislation like the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
🎯 Prelims High-Yield Examination Points
Departmentally Related Standing Committees (DRSCs) comprise 31 members (21 from Lok Sabha and 10 from Rajya Sabha) and their recommendations are non-binding on the government.
⚖️ Mains Analytical & Syllabus Linkages
Examine the significance of Parliamentary Committees in bridging legislative time deficits, ensuring technical oversight, and fostering bipartisan consensus in lawmaking.
🎯 UPSC Prelims Practice Drill
With reference to Departmentally Related Standing Committees (DRSCs) in the Indian Parliament, consider the following statements: 1. DRSCs consist of 31 members, with 21 nominated from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha. 2. Unlike the televised proceedings of the House, DRSCs hold closed-door meetings to facilitate cross-party consensus. 3. The recommendations made by DRSCs in their reports are legally binding on the executive. Which of the statements given above are correct?
- [A] 1 and 2 only
- [B] 2 and 3 only
- [C] 1 and 3 only
- [D] 1, 2 and 3
▶ Reveal Official Answer & Analytical Explanation
Statements 1 and 2 are correct: DRSCs consist of 21 members from Lok Sabha and 10 from Rajya Sabha, and their meetings are conducted behind closed doors to allow members to discuss issues freely without party posturing. Statement 3 is incorrect: The recommendations made by DRSCs are non-binding on the government, although they carry significant weight and influence legislation.
🏛️ Historical Twin PYQ Anchor (2021)
Consider the following statements regarding the "National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)": 1. It is implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. 2. Central Pollution Control Board acts as the sole regulatory executive body.