Govt weighs two-year terms for House panels

New Delhi: The government is considering extending the tenure of parliamentary standing committees to two years, and is likely to soon hold discussions on this with the presiding officers of both Houses.

Some lawmakers had complained that the current one-year term of the panels was too short to make any meaningful contribution to the legislative and oversight functions of Parliament.

The new term of parliamentary panels usually starts late September or early October, depending on the date on which the committees, often described as 'mini-parliaments', are constituted.

Parliament sources said some members had requested the government to extend the tenure to at least two years so that the panels can effectively address the subjects chosen for deliberations.

The committees are set up soon after the new Lok Sabha is constituted in consultation with various political parties, who get to chair these panels in proportion to their strength in the House.

Usually, a chairman nominated at the start of the tenure of the new Lok Sabha continues in the post even as the committees are constituted every year, unless there is a request from a political party for a change.

There are occasions when members also seek to become a part of a different committee and such requests are considered favourably by the presiding officers of the respective Houses.

Of the 24 department-related standing committees, eight are chaired by members of the Rajya Sabha and 16 are helmed by members of the Lok Sabha.

The parliamentary system also includes financial committees, ad-hoc committees and other committees that are constituted from time to time to examine Bills and other issues.