Environment & Ecology GS 3 In the news 4 times

Parliamentary Committees

Standing Committees vs Committee on Public Undertakings

Parliament exercises oversight of the executive partly through Department-Related Standing Committees (24 in number, covering all ministries) and specialised committees such as the Committee on Public Undertakings (COPU), which examines the reports and accounts of Public Sector Undertakings including their working, autonomy, and efficiency — NHPC being a Central PSU under the Ministry of Power.

Key details

COPU was constituted in 1964 on the recommendation of the Krishna Menon Committee, following the model of the Estimates Committee.
COPU has 22 members (15 from Lok Sabha, 7 from Rajya Sabha); recommendations are advisory and not binding on the government.
Standing Committees, including the one on Science & Technology, Environment, Forests and Climate Change, separately examine the Environment Ministry's policy and budget; COPU's remit here arose because NHPC (a PSU) is the affected party seeking faster clearances.

In the news

● Tracked since March 23, 2026 · last seen September 10, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes

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