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Difficulty: MediumUnion Legislature: Parliament Structure, Lawmaking, and Committees

Consider the following statements regarding the Estimates Committee of the Indian Parliament:

1. It consists of 30 members, all of whom are drawn exclusively from the Lok Sabha.
2. A Minister can be elected as a member of this committee provided the Speaker approves.
3. By parliamentary convention, the Chairman of the committee is appointed from amongst the members belonging to the ruling party.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. 1 and 3 onlyAnswer
  2. B
    1 and 2 only
  3. C
    2 and 3 only
  4. D
    1, 2 and 3

Answer

Statements 1 and 3 are correct.
The correct response identifies that statements 1 and 3 are accurate. The Estimates Committee is the largest parliamentary committee, consisting of 30 members elected solely from the Lok Sabha (Rajya Sabha has zero representation). Ministers are excluded from election to ensure legislative independence over executive financial estimates. Furthermore, by political convention, the Speaker appoints a Chairman belonging to the ruling party, unlike the Public Accounts Committee whose Chairman is customarily from the opposition.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze Statement 1 regarding the membership structure of the Estimates Committee.
The Estimates Committee has 30 members, and all 30 are elected from the Lok Sabha every year from amongst its members according to the principle of proportional representation by means of a single transferable vote. Rajya Sabha has no representation in this committee.
This establishes that Statement 1 is correct.
2
Analyze Statement 2 regarding minister eligibility for committee membership.
A Minister cannot be elected as a member of the Estimates Committee. If a member, after election to the committee, becomes a Minister, he or she ceases to be a member of the committee from the date of such appointment.
This proves Statement 2 is incorrect.
3
Analyze Statement 3 regarding the convention of appointing the Chairman of the Estimates Committee.
The Chairman of the Estimates Committee is appointed by the Speaker from amongst its members. By established convention, the Chairman is invariably selected from the ruling party/coalition.
This confirms Statement 3 is correct.

Key Concept

Structure, membership rules, and chairmanship conventions of Parliamentary Financial Committees (Estimates Committee)
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Topics

Union Legislature: Parliament Structure, Lawmaking, and Committees

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