Congress MP Rahul Gandhi retains his membership of Parliament’s Standing Committee on Defence
Rahul Gandhi In Parliament’s Defence Committee & Kangana Ranaut Makes Debut
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi retains his membership of Parliament’s Standing Committee on Defence, while actor-politician and the BJP’s first-time parliamentarian Kangana Ranaut has been assigned to the committee on Information Technology, or IT, the Rajya Sabha Secretariat said in a notification. Mr. Gandhi, who is also Leader of the Opposition in the Lower House, was a member of the Defence Committee in the previous Lok Sabha too. The committee will be chaired by BJP MP Radha Mohan Singh.
The Congress has been given the chair of four committees, including the one for External Affairs, which will be led by its former Foreign Minister Shashi Tharoor. The Congress will also lead the committees on Education, Women, Children, Youth, and Sports (to be chaired by Digvijaya Singh), Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, and Food Processing (ex -Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Channi), and Rural and Panchayati Raj (Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka). Seven-time MP and ex-Congress chief Sonia Gandhi has not been named.
Members from the ruling BJP will chair key committees, including Defence, Finance, Home, and Coal, Mines, and Steel, as well as Communications and IT, of which Ms Ranaut is a member. Home Affairs will be led by Radha Mohan Das Agrawal. Bhartruhari Mahtab, who served as Pro-Tem Speaker, will lead the prestigious Standing Committee on Finance.
Each department-related standing committees – which has representation from across party lines – acts as ‘mini parliaments’ and keeps a tab on the functioning of their related ministries. Each committee is a combination of members from both Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha.
Standing Committee On Defence
The exponential growth in the sphere of activities of the Executive & the growing complexities of governance has resulted in the Parliament relying on its Committees to a greater extent for ensuring accountability of the Executive to the Legislature.
Composition of the Committee
The Committee consist of 31 Members; 21 Members from Lok Sabha, nominated by the Speaker, Lok Sabha and 10 from Rajya Sabha nominated by the Chairman, Rajya Sabha. The Chairperson of the Committee is appointed by the Speaker from amongst the Members of the Committee from Lok Sabha. The term of office of the Members of the Committee does not exceed one year.
Functions of the Committee
•to consider the Demands for Grants of the Ministry of Defence, make reports on the same and present them to the Parliament;
•to examine such Bills pertaining to the Ministry of Defence as are referred to the Committee by the Speaker, Lok Sabha or the Chairman, Rajya Sabha as the case may be, and make reports thereon;
•to consider Annual Report of the Ministry of Defence and make reports thereon; and
•to consider National Basic Long-Term Policy Documents presented to the Houses, if referred to the Committee by the Speaker, Lok Sabha or the Chairman, Rajya Sabha as the case may be, and make reports thereon
