Committees to Scrutinise and Control
Scrutiny committees explained: the six panels Parliament uses to check government assurances, subordinate legislation, and executive conduct.
At a glance
One of six standing-committee categories; six named committees checking executive assurances, delegated legislation, and specific welfare/conduct matters.
Includes Committee on Government Assurances and Committee on Subordinate Legislation.
Represents Parliament's process-and-conduct oversight, distinct from the money-focused financial committees.
Scrutiny committees — formally, Committees to Scrutinise and Control — are one of the six categories of standing committees through which Parliament keeps a continuous check on how the executive follows through on its promises, exercises delegated law-making power, and handles specific categories of business before the House. Unlike the financial committees, which focus on money, this group focuses on process and conduct.
Where This Category Fits
Standing committees of Parliament are grouped into six categories by the nature of their work: Financial Committees (Public Accounts Committee, Estimates Committee, Committee on Public Undertakings), Department-Related Standing Committees (24 committees covering all central ministries), Committees to Inquire (Committee on Petitions, Committee of Privileges), Committees to Scrutinise and Control, Committees Relating to the Day-to-Day Business of the House, and House-Keeping or Service Committees.
The Committees in This Category
The Committees to Scrutinise and Control comprise six named bodies:
| Committee | Focus |
|---|---|
| Committee on Government Assurances | Checks whether assurances given by ministers on the floor of the House are honoured |
| Committee on Subordinate Legislation | Examines rules, regulations, and bye-laws made under delegated legislative power |
| Committee on Papers Laid on the Table | Scrutinises papers the government places before the House |
| Committee on Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes | Reviews welfare measures for SCs and STs |
| Committee on Empowerment of Women | Reviews measures for women's empowerment |
| Joint Committee on Offices of Profit | Examines questions relating to disqualification on grounds of holding an office of profit |
A Related Body: The Ethics Committee
Alongside these scrutiny-and-control committees, Parliament also maintains an Ethics Committee in each House, which enforces the code of conduct of members. It was constituted in the Rajya Sabha in 1997 and in the Lok Sabha in 2000. The committee examines cases of member misconduct and recommends appropriate action, functioning to maintain discipline and decorum in Parliament. The Lok Sabha's Ethics Committee has 15 members, and the Rajya Sabha's has 10 — the same membership pattern used for the Committee on Petitions and the Committee of Privileges, which sit in the neighbouring "Committees to Inquire" category.
UPSC Relevance
- Prelims: Candidates are frequently asked to match a specific committee (e.g., on Subordinate Legislation, or on Government Assurances) to its correct category, or to identify which of the six categories a given committee belongs to.
- Mains: Useful for GS2 answers on legislative oversight mechanisms, since the Committee on Government Assurances and the Committee on Subordinate Legislation illustrate how Parliament checks both the executive's follow-through on promises and its exercise of delegated legislative power.
FAQ
Q1. What are the six committees in the "Committees to Scrutinise and Control" category? Committee on Government Assurances, Committee on Subordinate Legislation, Committee on Papers Laid on the Table, Committee on Welfare of SCs and STs, Committee on Empowerment of Women, and the Joint Committee on Offices of Profit.
Q2. What does the Committee on Subordinate Legislation examine? It examines rules, regulations, and bye-laws made by the executive under powers delegated by Parliament.
Q3. Is the Ethics Committee part of this category? The Ethics Committee is a separate body enforcing the code of conduct of members; it sits alongside, but is not one of the six named Committees to Scrutinise and Control.
Q4. When was the Ethics Committee set up in each House? In the Rajya Sabha in 1997 and in the Lok Sabha in 2000.
Q5. How many members does the Ethics Committee have in each House? 15 members in the Lok Sabha and 10 in the Rajya Sabha.
Quick Revision
- Category: one of six standing-committee groups (alongside Financial, DRSCs, Inquire, Day-to-Day Business, House-Keeping).
- Six named committees: Government Assurances, Subordinate Legislation, Papers Laid on the Table, Welfare of SCs/STs, Empowerment of Women, Joint Committee on Offices of Profit.
- Ethics Committee: Rajya Sabha (1997), Lok Sabha (2000); 15 LS / 10 RS members; enforces MPs' code of conduct.
Sources
Further Reference
For deeper reading on this topic and the wider polity syllabus, these standard works are recommended:
- M. Laxmikanth, Indian Polity (McGraw Hill) — the standard UPSC handbook.
- D.D. Basu, Introduction to the Constitution of India (LexisNexis) — authoritative constitutional-law treatment.
- The Constitution of India — Bare Act — the official text.
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