SSC
The Committee on Public Undertakings of Parliament consists of:
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)View answer ▾Hide ▴
Answer: Option C — 22 members
Detailed Solution
The Committee on Public Undertakings consists of 22 members, of whom 15 are from the Lok Sabha and 7 are from the Rajya Sabha.
Origin of the committee:
- It was set up in 1964 on the recommendation of a committee of Parliament that studied the working of public enterprises.
- At first it had 15 members (10 from the Lok Sabha and 5 from the Rajya Sabha).
- The membership was raised to 22 in 1974.
How members are chosen:
- Members are elected by Parliament from among its members by means of the single transferable vote.
- This ensures that all parties are represented in proportion to their strength.
- The chairman is appointed by the Speaker from among the members from the Lok Sabha.
- Members of the Rajya Sabha cannot be appointed as chairman.
Functions of the committee:
- To examine the reports and accounts of public undertakings.
- To examine the audit reports on public undertakings that are presented to Parliament.
- To examine whether the affairs of public undertakings are being managed in accordance with sound business principles and prudent commercial practices.
Limits on its role:
- It does not examine matters of major government policy, as distinct from business or commercial functions.
- It does not look into the day-to-day administration of the undertakings.
- It does not deal with matters for which machinery has been set up under a special statute.
Financial committees of Parliament:
- There are three financial committees: the Public Accounts Committee, the Estimates Committee and the Committee on Public Undertakings.
- The Committee on Public Undertakings is the youngest of the three.
- Good to know
- 15 was the original strength in 1964.
- 20 and 30 do not match the committee's strength.
Quick tip
Remember: Committee on Public Undertakings = 22 members (15 Lok Sabha + 7 Rajya Sabha); set up in 1964.
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Parliament — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Parliament, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the Parliament of India: the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, their composition, powers and officers, sessions, the law-making process, money bills, joint sittings, parliamentary committees, and devices such as question hour, zero hour and the various motions. Typical questions ask about the maximum strength of each house, the minimum age for members, who certifies a money bill (the Speaker), who presides over a joint sitting, and which committee is chaired by a member of the opposition (the Public Accounts Committee, by convention). Note the special powers of the Rajya Sabha under Articles 249 and 312. Practise the Parliament questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.