Parliamentary Committees
Role in Policy and Legislation
Parliamentary Standing Committees are permanent bodies that scrutinise government functioning, examine bills, and produce policy recommendations that inform legislation. They are composed of Members of Parliament from both Houses and are served by the Lok Sabha/Rajya Sabha Secretariats. Their reports are not binding but carry significant persuasive authority, often directly shaping government policy and legislation. The Committee on the Empowerment of Women is a Department-Related Standing Committee mandated to examine matters relating to the welfare and empowerment of women. International precedents like Australia's Online Safety Act (2021, expanded) and the UK's Online Safety Act (2023) — which mandate age verification and content moderation standards — lend global weight to the committee's KYC recommendation.
- Parliamentary Standing Committees: 24 DRSCs (Department-Related Standing Committees) covering all ministries
- Composition: MPs from both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha; reflect proportional party representation
- Committee on Empowerment of Women: Chaired by D. Purandeswari (BJP MP); sat June 2025–March 2026
- Stakeholders consulted: MHA, MeitY, Google, Meta, C-DAC, Cyber Peace Foundation
- International comparisons: Australia — mandatory age verification on social media (Nov 2024 legislation); UK — Online Safety Act (2023)
- National Human Rights Commission (NHRC): Recommended KYC compliance for platform subscribers in 2023 advisory (CSAM focus)
- Committee reports: Tabled in Parliament; government must respond within 6 months per convention
● Tracked since March 23, 2026 · last seen May 21, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes