Every year, at least two to three questions in UPSC Prelims and Mains touch upon how Parliament actually works behind the scenes — not on the floor, but inside committee rooms. Most aspirants memorise Article numbers and skip the committee system entirely, which is a costly mistake.
I have seen this pattern for over fifteen years now. Students who understand the committee system score well across Polity, Governance, and even Ethics papers. This article will walk you through every type of parliamentary committee, how they function, why they matter, and how UPSC tests them.
Where This Topic Sits in the UPSC Syllabus
| Exam Stage | Paper | Syllabus Section |
|---|---|---|
| Prelims | General Studies | Indian Polity — Parliament and State Legislatures |
| Mains | GS-II | Parliament — Structure, Functioning, Business, Powers and Privileges |
This topic has appeared in various forms roughly 15-20 times in the last two decades. Questions range from factual (composition of PAC) to analytical (declining role of committees in Indian democracy). It also connects to topics like legislative process, accountability, and governance reforms.
What Are Parliamentary Committees and Why Do They Exist
Parliament cannot examine every bill, budget, or policy issue in detail on the floor of the House. There is simply not enough time. So Parliament delegates detailed examination to smaller groups of MPs called Parliamentary Committees.
Think of it this way. Parliament is the full classroom. Committees are study groups that go deep into specific subjects and report back. Without them, laws would pass without proper scrutiny.
These committees derive their authority from Article 105 (privileges of Parliament) and Article 118 (rules of procedure). The specific rules are laid down in the Rules of Procedure of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
Two Main Categories — Standing and Ad Hoc
Parliamentary committees fall into two broad types. Standing Committees are permanent. They are reconstituted every year or at fixed intervals. Ad Hoc Committees are temporary. They are created for a specific purpose and dissolved once their work is done.
Standing Committees include financial committees and departmental committees. Ad Hoc Committees include Select Committees on Bills and Joint Parliamentary Committees (JPCs). The JPC on the 2G scam or the JPC on the Stock Market scam are well-known examples.
The Three Financial Committees — Learn These Cold
UPSC loves testing the three financial committees. Know them thoroughly.
- Public Accounts Committee (PAC) — 22 members (15 Lok Sabha, 7 Rajya Sabha). Examines the audit reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG). The chairman is traditionally from the opposition. This is a convention, not a rule.
- Estimates Committee — 30 members, all from Lok Sabha only. Examines whether money is well spent and suggests alternative policies for efficiency. It is the largest parliamentary committee.
- Committee on Public Undertakings (COPU) — 22 members (15 Lok Sabha, 7 Rajya Sabha). Examines reports of public sector enterprises. It does not cover companies where government equity is below 51%.
A common UPSC trap: PAC examines expenditure after it is incurred. Estimates Committee examines before or during. This distinction matters in Prelims.
Department Related Standing Committees (DRSCs)
In 1993, 17 DRSCs were created on the recommendation of the Rules Committee. This number was later increased to 24 in 2004. Each committee has 31 members — 21 from Lok Sabha and 10 from Rajya Sabha.
These committees examine bills referred to them, consider Demands for Grants, and examine the working of ministries. They are arguably the most important reform in Indian parliamentary functioning since independence.
However, there is a serious problem. Referring bills to DRSCs is not mandatory. In recent years, the percentage of bills referred to committees has dropped sharply — from over 70% in the 15th Lok Sabha to less than 25% in the 17th Lok Sabha. This is a governance concern UPSC can test in Mains.
Why the Committee System Is Declining — A Mains Favourite
Several reasons explain this decline:
- The government often uses the ordinance route to bypass Parliament entirely
- Bills are passed in a single session without committee referral
- Party whips reduce the independence of committee members
- Committee reports are not binding — they are only recommendatory
- Frequent disruptions reduce available parliamentary time
For a Mains answer, you should argue both sides. Committees slow down the legislative process, which is a valid concern. But they also improve the quality of legislation and give opposition MPs a meaningful role. The ideal solution lies in making committee referral mandatory for all major bills.
Other Important Committees Worth Knowing
Beyond the financial committees and DRSCs, remember these for Prelims:
- Business Advisory Committee — regulates the time-table of the House
- Committee on Privileges — examines breach of privilege cases
- Ethics Committee — examines complaints of unethical conduct by MPs
- Committee on Subordinate Legislation — examines delegated legislation (rules, regulations framed under Acts)
The Ethics Committee became prominent when it recommended the expulsion of an MP in 2023. This made it a current affairs topic with Polity linkage — exactly the kind of crossover UPSC tests.
Previous Year UPSC Questions on This Topic
Q1. Which of the following Committees of the Indian Parliament has no member from Rajya Sabha?
(UPSC Prelims 2020 — GS Paper I)
Answer: Estimates Committee. It has 30 members, all from Lok Sabha. This is because financial matters are the primary domain of the Lower House. UPSC frequently tests this distinction to check if students confuse PAC and Estimates Committee composition.
Q2. “The Indian Parliament has been reduced to a rubber stamp due to the declining role of its committee system.” Discuss.
(UPSC Mains 2018 pattern — GS-II)
Answer: Parliamentary committees provide detailed scrutiny that floor debates cannot. The declining referral of bills to DRSCs weakens legislative oversight. In the 16th Lok Sabha, landmark bills like Aadhaar were passed as Money Bills without committee scrutiny. However, calling Parliament a rubber stamp is an overstatement — Question Hour, debates, and CAG reports still ensure accountability. The solution is institutional reform: mandatory referral of bills, longer committee tenures, and publishing committee proceedings for public access. Strengthening committees strengthens democracy itself.
Q3. Consider the following statements about the Public Accounts Committee: 1) Its chairman is appointed by the Speaker of Lok Sabha. 2) It examines expenditure before it is sanctioned by Parliament. Which is correct?
(UPSC Prelims pattern — GS Paper I)
Answer: Only statement 1 is correct. The PAC chairman is indeed appointed by the Speaker. Statement 2 is wrong — PAC examines expenditure after it has been incurred, based on CAG audit reports. The Estimates Committee examines expenditure proposals before or during spending. This is one of the most common traps in UPSC Polity questions.
Key Points to Remember for UPSC
- PAC examines spending after it happens; Estimates Committee looks at proposals before spending
- Estimates Committee is the only financial committee with no Rajya Sabha members
- PAC chairman is conventionally from the opposition — this is not written in any law
- There are 24 DRSCs with 31 members each, but bill referral to them is not compulsory
- Committee reports are recommendatory, not binding on the government
- JPC is an ad hoc committee formed by a motion in Parliament for specific investigations
- The declining percentage of bills referred to committees is a major governance concern for Mains essays
Understanding the committee system gives you an edge not just in Polity but also in Governance and Essay papers. As a next step, read the latest annual report of PRS Legislative Research — it tracks exactly how many bills went to committees and how many hours Parliament worked. That single document can feed multiple Mains answers and help you write with authority.