Parliamentary Committees - Free MCQ Practice Test with solutions, UPSC

C: Both 1 and 2

A censure motion is a parliamentary device used to condemn the actions or policies of a minister, a group of ministers, or the entire Council of Ministers. In practice it may be moved against a single minister as well as against a group or the whole Council, and it customarily sets out the specific grounds or charges that form the basis of the censure.

A no-confidence motion operates on the principle of collective responsibility and is aimed at the entire Council of Ministers; it cannot be directed at an individual minister alone. Procedurally it does not require the mover to specify detailed grounds - the motion simply asserts that the House has no confidence in the Council, and if adopted the Council must tender its resignation.

Although neither motion is explicitly prescribed in detail by the Constitution, the practice of collective responsibility to the House is grounded in Article 75(3), which underpins the operation of the no-confidence motion. Taken together, these procedural and constitutional principles make both statements correct.

A: 1 only

Statement 1 is correct. The Estimates Committee consists of 30 members drawn exclusively from the Lok Sabha. Members are elected annually by the Lok Sabha by the method of single transferable vote and hold office for one year; there is no representation from the Rajya Sabha.

Statement 2 is incorrect. The Committee examines the budget estimates after they are laid before Parliament but not only after Parliament has given its approval. Its purpose is to suggest measures for economy, efficiency and alternative policies so that Parliament can take informed decisions before voting on demands for grants. (By contrast, the Public Accounts Committee examines expenditure after it has been incurred.)

Therefore, only the first statement is correct.

B: Finance Minister is the chairman of the PAC. This statement is incorrect: the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee is appointed by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and Ministers are not eligible to be members of the PAC, so the Finance Minister cannot serve as its chairman.

Statement A is correct: the PAC was set up in 1921 under the provisions of the Government of India Act of 1919.

Statement C is correct: the committee has representation from both Houses - a total of 22 members with 15 from the Lok Sabha and 7 from the Rajya Sabha.

Statement D is correct: the term of office of PAC members is one year; members are elected annually by proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote.

The PAC examines audit reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG); the CAG assists and guides the committee in its scrutiny of public expenditure.

Rules Committee - The committee that examines matters relating to the procedure and conduct of business in the House and recommends amendments or additions to the Rules of Procedure.

In the Lok Sabha the Rules Committee consists of 15 members, with the Speaker as ex-officio Chairman; in the Rajya Sabha it comprises 16 members, with the Chairman as ex-officio Chairman.

1 only

Statement 1 is incorrect. A House of Parliament has the right to publish its reports, debates and proceedings and also the power to prevent or treat as a breach of privilege any unauthorized publication or disclosure; the Houses can exclude strangers, hold secret sittings and take action against unauthorized publication of their proceedings.

Statement 2 is correct. The collective privileges of a House include the power to sanction breaches of privilege by both members and outsiders; sanctions are imposed under the House's rules and may include admonition or committal to the custody of the House (or other disciplinary measures permissible under parliamentary procedure).

Statement 3 is correct. A House has the collective privilege to be informed of the arrest, detention, conviction, imprisonment and release of one of its members so that the House (through its Presiding Officer) can take appropriate action.

Therefore, only the first statement is wrong; the second and third statements are correct.

Department-Related Standing Committee. These committees were constituted on 8 April 1993 and their number was increased to 24 in July 2004.

Each committee has a maximum strength of 31 members - 21 from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha; members are nominated by the presiding officers of the two Houses.

Main functions include ensuring executive accountability to Parliament, examining the Demands for Grants of assigned ministries, scrutinising bills referred to them, examining annual reports and relevant policy documents, and submitting reports that assist in budgetary and legislative scrutiny.

Because each committee is linked to specified ministries, it is the appropriate body for detailed oversight of implementation, expenditure and policy, matching the description given.

C: 1 and 3 only

Statements 1 and 3 are correct; statement 2 is incorrect.

The Committee on Private Members' Bills and Resolutions is constituted only in the Lok Sabha. It is a standing/special committee of the Lok Sabha with 15 members and is normally chaired by the Deputy Speaker. The Rajya Sabha does not have a similarly named committee; matters relating to private members' business in the Rajya Sabha are managed through the Business Advisory Committee.

The Committee on Government Assurances exists in both Houses. In the Lok Sabha it has 15 members, and in the Rajya Sabha it has 10 members. Its function is to examine assurances, promises and undertakings given by Ministers on the floor of the House and to report on their implementation.

The Committee on Absence of Members from the Sittings of the House is a committee of the Lok Sabha only; it considers leave/absence matters and reports on members absent without leave. There is no corresponding committee with the same name and function in the Rajya Sabha.

Hence, only the first and third committees are exclusively in the Lok Sabha.

1 only

Statement 1 (Correct): Parliamentary committees are constituted by either election of members by the House or by nomination by the Speaker (Lok Sabha) / Chairman (Rajya Sabha) or by the House itself, depending on the type of committee.

Statement 2 (Incorrect): Committee reports are laid before or presented to the concerned House (or to the Speaker/Chairman as appropriate) and not submitted directly to the President.

Statement 3 (Incorrect): Secretarial support is provided by the respective House secretariats - the Lok Sabha Secretariat or the Rajya Sabha Secretariat. The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs facilitates coordination between the government and Parliament but does not supply the committees' secretarial staff.

2 and 3 only

Statement 1 is incorrect. Although the Committee on Public Undertakings was constituted in 1964, it was not established on the basis of the named committee in the given statement.

Statement 2 is correct. The committee's members are drawn from both Houses of Parliament, and the chairman must be a member of the Lok Sabha. The committee originally had 15 members (10 Lok Sabha + 5 Rajya Sabha) and was increased to 22 members (15 Lok Sabha + 7 Rajya Sabha) in 1974. Members are elected annually by their respective Houses by proportional representation, the term is typically one year, and serving ministers are ineligible.

Statement 3 is correct. The committee examines reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General relating to public undertakings and reports to Parliament on matters of performance, efficiency and financial management of those undertakings.

A: 1 only

Consultative Committees are informal bodies attached to individual ministries that provide a forum for discussion between Ministers and Members of Parliament on the policies and programmes of the government; they have no legislative or adjudicatory powers and serve mainly for exchange of views and clarification of policy.

Statement 2 is incorrect: consultative committees are not constituted by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha. Their composition, functions and meeting arrangements are handled by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, and the committee for a ministry is normally chaired by the minister in charge of that ministry; membership is drawn from members of both Houses.

Thus, only the first statement is correct.