- Department-related Standing Committees are parliamentary committees that examine the functioning of specific Ministries or Departments of the Government of India.
- They strengthen legislative oversight by enabling detailed scrutiny of executive actions.
Constitutional and Legal Basis
- Not mentioned in the Constitution
- Established under the Rules of Procedure of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha
- Introduced in 1993 to improve parliamentary control over the executive
Composition
- Total Committees: 24
- Members per Committee: 31
- Lok Sabha: 21 members
- Rajya Sabha: 10 members
- Members are elected by respective Houses through proportional representation
- Ministers are not allowed to be members
- Tenure- One year; Committees are reconstituted annually
Chairperson
- Appointed by the Speaker of Lok Sabha or Chairman of Rajya Sabha
- Usually from the ruling party
- Some committees are chaired by opposition members as per convention
- 16 Committees under Lok Sabha
- 8 Committees under Rajya Sabha
Functions
- Examine Demands for Grants of Ministries
- Scrutinise Bills referred by Parliament
- Review Annual Reports of Ministries and Departments
- Examine long-term policy documents
- Suggest improvements in administration and governance
Examination of Demands for Grants
- Occurs after the Budget is presented
- Committees analyse expenditure proposals in detail
- Reports submitted to Parliament before voting on grants
- Recommendations are advisory, not binding
Role in Law-making
- Bills can be referred to DRSCs for detailed examination
- Public opinions and expert inputs may be considered
- Improves quality of legislation through technical scrutiny
Importance
- Enables informed discussion in Parliament
- Reduces burden on the House
- Enhances transparency and accountability
- Allows bipartisan and non-partisan deliberation
- Strengthens parliamentary control over the executive
Limitations
- Recommendations are not mandatory for the government
- Time constraints reduce depth of scrutiny
- Declining trend of referring Bills to committees
- Dominance of ruling party can affect objectivity
Difference from Other Parliamentary Committees
- DRSCs are permanent but reconstituted annually
- Unlike Select Committees, they deal with multiple subjects
- Focus on both legislative and financial scrutiny
Significance for Parliamentary Democracy
- Promotes deliberative democracy
- Bridges gap between legislature and executive
- Improves governance through continuous oversight
