Departmentally Related Standing Committees

There are 24 Departmentally Related Standing Committees covering under their jurisdiction all the Ministries/ Departments of the Government of India. Each of these Committees consists of 31 Members - 21 from Lok Sabha and 10 from Rajya Sabha to be nominated by the Speaker, Lok Sabha and the Chairman, Rajya Sabha, respectively. Provided that a member appointed as a Minister, shall not be nominated as, or continue as, a member of any Committee. The term of Office of these Committees does not exceed one year.

A full-fledged system of 17 Departmentally Related Standing Committees came into being in April, 1993. Some examples: Committee on Commerce; Committee on Home Affairs; Committee on Human Resource Development, etc.

Till 13th Lok Sabha, each Standing Committee consisted of not more than 45 members 30 to be nominated by the Speaker from amongst the members of Lok Sabha and 15 to be nominated by the Chairman, Rajya Sabha from amongst the members of Rajya Sabha. However, with re-structuring of DRSCs in July, 2004 each DRSC consists of 31 Members - 21 from Lok Sabha and 10 from Rajya Sabha.
With reference to the Ministries/ Departments under their purview, the functions of these Standing Committees are:-

a) to consider the Demands for Grants of the related Ministries/Departments and report thereon. The report shall not suggest anything of the nature of cut motions; 
b) to examine Bills, pertaining to the related Ministries/Departments, referred to the Committee by the Chairman or the Speaker, as the case may be, and report thereon;
c) to consider the annual reports of the Ministries/Departments and report thereon; and
d) to consider national basic long term policy documents presented to the Houses , if referred to the Committee by the Chairman or the Speaker, as the case may be, and report thereon :

The Standing Committees does not consider matters of day-to-day administration of the related Ministries/Departments and the recommendations of these committees are advisory in nature and hence, not binding on Parliament.

The following procedure shall be followed by each of the Standing Committees in its consideration of the Demands for Grants and making a report thereon to the Houses, after the general discussion on the Budget in the Houses is over, and the Houses are adjourned for a fixed period :-

a) the Committee shall consider the Demands for Grants of the related Ministries during the aforesaid period;
b) the Committee shall make its report within the specified period;
c) There shall be a separate report on the Demands for Grants of each Ministry;
d) The demand for grants shall be considered by the House with respect to the reports of the Standing Committee.

The following procedure shall be followed by each of the Standing Committees in examining a Bill and making a report thereon:-

a. the Committee shall examine only such Bills introduced in either of the Houses as are referred to it by the Chairman or the Speaker, as the case may be ; and
b. the Committee shall consider the general principles and clauses of such Bills and shall make report thereon within such time as may be specified by the Chairman or the Speaker, as the case may be.

The Departmentally Related Standing Committee System is a path-breaking endeavour of the Parliamentary surveillance over administration. With the emphasis of their functioning to concentrate on long-term plans, policies guiding the working of the Executive, these Committees provide necessary direction, guidance and inputs for broad policy formulations and in achievement of the long-term national perspective by the Executive.