RULES RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT-RELATED PARLIAMENTARY STANDING COMMITTEES

(Extracts from the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Council of States)

268. Department-related Standing Committees

(1) There shall be Parliamentary Standing Committees of the Houses (to be called the Standing Committees) related to Ministries/Departments.

(2) Each of the Standing Committees shall be related to the Ministries/Departments as specified in the Third Schedule:

Provided that the Chairman and the Speaker, Lok Sabha (hereinafter referred to as the Speaker), may alter the said Schedule from time to time in consultation with each other.

269. Constitution

269 (1) Each of the Standing Committees constituted under Rule 268 shall consist of not more than 31 members, 10 members nominated by the Chairman from amongst the members of the Council, and 21 members nominated by the Speaker from amongst the members of the House;

Provided that a member appointed as a Minister shall not be nominated as, or continue as, a member of any Committee.

(2) The Chairman of each of the Committees specified in Part I of the Third Schedule shall be appointed by the Chairman of the Council from amongst members of the respective Committees, and the Chairman of each of the Committees specified in Part II of the said Schedule shall correspondingly be appointed by the Speaker.

(3) A member of a Committee shall hold office for a term not exceeding one year.

270. Functions

Each of the Standing Committees shall have the following functions, namely :-

1. 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;
2. 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;
3. to consider the annual reports of the Ministries/Departments and report thereon; and
4. 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 :

Provided that the Standing Committees shall not consider matters of day-to-day administration of the related Ministries/Departments.

271. Applicability of provisions relating to functions

Each of the functions of the Standing Committees as provided in rule 270 shall be applicable to the Committees from such date as may be notified by the Chairman and the Speaker in respect of applicability of a particular function.

272. Procedure relating to Demands for Grants

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 :-

1. the Committee shall consider the Demands for Grants of the related Ministries during the aforesaid period :
2. the Committee shall make its report within the specified period; and
3. there shall be a separate report on the Demands for Grants of each Ministry.

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

1. 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
2. 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.

(1) The report of the Standing Committee shall be bases on broad consensus.

(2) Any member of the Committee may record a minute of dissent on the report of the Committee.

(3) The report of the Committee, together with the minutes of dissent, if any, shall be presented to the Houses.

275. Applicability of rules relating to Select Committees on Bills

In other respects the rules applicable to Select Committees on Bills in the Council shall apply mutatis mutandis to the Standing Committees specified in Part I of the Third Schedule and the general rules applicable to other Parliamentary Committees in the House shall apply to Standing Committees specified in Part II of the said Schedule.

276. Matters not to be considered

A Standing Committee shall not ordinarily consider maters within the purview of any other Parliamentary Committee.

277. Reports to have persuasive value

The report of a Standing Committee shall have persuasive value and shall be treated as considered advice given by the Committee.