The central government has established 24 parliamentary committees, with key appointments including Rahul Gandhi as a member of the defense committee. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has been appointed as the chair of the foreign affairs committee, while Ram Gopal Yadav has been named the chair of the health committee. Additionally, BJP leader Radha Mohan Singh has been appointed as chair of the defense committee. Notably, Sonia Gandhi’s name is absent from any committee.
BJP’s Radha Mohan Das Agrawal will lead the home affairs parliamentary committee, and the finance committee will be headed by BJP MP Bhartuhari Mahtab. Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has been assigned the committee on women, education, youth, and sports. Nishikant Dubey from the BJP has been appointed chair of the communications and IT committee, which also includes Kangana Ranaut as a member. Arun Govil, known for playing Lord Ram in the Ramayana series, will be part of the foreign affairs committee. BJP leader C.M. Ramesh has been appointed chair of the railway committee.
Complete List of Members Available
Why are Parliamentary Committees Necessary?
Parliament has a vast amount of work to accomplish, often with limited time to address each issue in depth. Therefore, many matters are delegated to these parliamentary committees for thorough consideration. The committees are formed by Parliament itself.
These committees operate under the direction of the Lok Sabha Speaker and submit their reports to Parliament or the Speaker. There are two types of committees: permanent and ad hoc. Permanent committees serve for a year and continuously oversee their designated areas. These include financial committees, departmental committees, and others.
In contrast, ad hoc committees are established for specific issues and dissolve once their work is completed.
Types of Permanent Committees
Permanent committees can generally be classified into three categories: financial committees, departmental committees, and other permanent committees. Financial committees include three types: the Estimate Committee, the Public Accounts Committee, and the Committee on Government Assurances. These committees consist of 22 to 30 members, with the Estimate Committee exclusively comprising Lok Sabha members, while the other two include 15 Lok Sabha members and 7 Rajya Sabha members. There are 24 departmental committees, each encompassing all central government ministries and departments, with 31 members per committee—21 from Lok Sabha and 10 from Rajya Sabha. This includes committees for home affairs, industry, agriculture, defense, foreign affairs, railways, urban development, and rural development.
Functions of Parliamentary Committees
The primary role of these committees is to assist the government in its functioning. Given the heavy workload in Parliament, these committees help monitor government operations and provide recommendations. Each committee has specific responsibilities. For instance, financial committees focus on overseeing government expenditures to ensure funds are used appropriately and without waste or irregularities.
If discrepancies are found, these committees can request information from the relevant department and inquire about measures taken to prevent such issues. Parliamentary committees have the authority to request any related documents, summon individuals, and report breaches of privilege.
Membership in Parliamentary Committees
Permanent committees consist of members from both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. A member can only belong to one committee; for instance, if someone is part of the home affairs committee, they cannot join the foreign affairs committee.
One member from each committee is elected as chair. Importantly, ministers cannot be members of parliamentary committees. If a member becomes a minister after being appointed to a committee, they must resign from that committee. Members can also voluntarily resign from their positions within a committee at any time
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