The Business Advisory Committee of the Lok Sabha is chaired by the:

The Business Advisory Committee of the Lok Sabha is headed by the Speaker, who is its ex officio chairman.

Composition of the committee:

• It has 15 members, including the Speaker.
• Members are nominated by the Speaker.
• Almost all sections of the House are represented on it, according to the strength of the parties.

Functions of the committee:

• It recommends how much time should be allotted for discussing government bills and other business.
• It decides the timetable for discussing important matters.
• It helps plan the business of each session, so that the time of the House is used well.
• Its decisions are presented to the House as a report and are usually accepted by agreement.

Why it is important:

• The House has limited time and a large amount of business.
• The committee helps the government and the opposition reach agreement on how much time each item will get.
• This reduces conflict and helps the House run smoothly.

Equivalent in the Rajya Sabha:

• The Rajya Sabha also has a Business Advisory Committee, chaired by its Chairman.
• It has 11 members, including the Chairman.

Role of the Speaker in committees:

• The Speaker is the ex officio chairman of other committees too, such as the Rules Committee and the General Purposes Committee.
• The Speaker appoints the chairmen of all parliamentary committees of the Lok Sabha and supervises their working.

Other functions of the Speaker:

• The Speaker decides questions of disqualification under the Tenth Schedule.
• The Speaker decides whether a bill is a Money Bill.
• The Speaker has a casting vote when there is a tie.

Why not the other options?

• ✗The Deputy Speaker presides over the House when the Speaker is absent but does not chair this committee.
• ✗The Minister of Parliamentary Affairs manages the government's business but does not chair the committee.
• ✗The Leader of the Opposition is a member of many bodies but does not chair this one.