Q. Which one of the following is the largest Committee of the Parliament?

  • The Committee on Public Accounts
  • The Committee on Estimates
  • The Committee on Public Undertakings
  • The Committee on Petitions

Answer: (b) The Committee on Estimates

Parliament Committees:
  • A Parliamentary committee is a committee of Members of Parliament (MPs) who are elected or appointed from amongst the members of the house or nominated by the Speaker or Chairman.
  • The concept of Parliamentary committees originated in the British Parliament. 
  • These committees operate under the direction of the Speaker of Lok Sabha or Chairman of Rajya Sabha and present their findings and recommendations to the respective houses.
  • The Parliamentary committees draw their authority from the constitution.
    • Article 105: Powers, privileges, etc., of the houses of Parliament and of the members and committees thereof.
    • Article 118: Each House of Parliament may make rules for regulations, subject to the provisions of this constitution, its procedure and the conduct of its business. 
  • India’s Parliament has multiple types of committees. They can be differentiated on the basis of their work, their membership and the length of their tenure.
  • However, broadly there are two types of Parliamentary Committees– Standing Committees and Ad Hoc Committees.
    • The Standing Committees are permanent (constituted every year or periodically) and work on a continuous basis.
      • Standing Committees can be classified into the following six categories:
        • Financial Committees
        • Departmental Standing Committees
        • Committees to Enquire
        • Committees to Scrutinise and Control
        • Committees Relating to the Day-to-Day Business of the House
        • House-Keeping Committees or Service Committees
    • While the Ad Hoc Committees are temporary and cease to exist on completion of the task assigned to them.
      • They are further subdivided into Inquiry Committees and Advisory Committees.
      • The principal Ad hoc Committees are the Select and Joint Committees on Bills.
The Estimates Committee
  • The Estimates Committee is the largest Committee of the Parliament.
  • It has a total of 30 members and all are from the Lok Sabha.
  • Rajya Sabha has no representation in this committee.
  • The function of the estimates committee is to make scrutiny of the functioning of government ministries and departments regarding the expenditure and utilisation of funds.

Other committees:

  • The Public Accounts Committee consists of 22 members out of which 15 members are elected by Lok Sabha and 7 Members of the Rajya Sabha are associated with it. 
  • The Committee on Public Undertakings consists of not more than 22 Members out of which 15 are elected by the Lok Sabha and 7 by the Rajya Sabha.
  • The Committee on Petitions consists of 10 members.