Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committees (DRSCs)
DRSCs are permanent committees of Parliament that examine bills, budgetary demands (Demands for Grants), and policy matters referred to them by the Speaker (Lok Sabha) or Chairman (Rajya Sabha), covering every ministry/department of the Union government. They were first constituted in April 1993 (17 committees) following recommendations of the Rules Committees of the 10th Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, and restructured in July 2004, expanding the number to 24.
- The Committee on Commerce functions under the direction of the Chairman, Rajya Sabha, and has 31 members — 21 from the Lok Sabha (nominated by the Speaker) and 10 from the Rajya Sabha (nominated by the Chairman)
- DRSC reports are recommendatory, not binding on the executive; the government is expected to respond via an Action Taken Report but is not legally obligated to accept recommendations
- DRSCs scrutinise legislation clause-by-clause in a non-partisan setting, often producing more detailed analysis than floor debates
- Ministers are not members of these committees, distinguishing them from the older Consultative Committees
● Tracked since August 06, 2026 · last seen August 13, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
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