January 22, 2026

Standing Committee Reports Guide Read Draft Bills & Policy Analysis Before They Become Law

📑 24x7 Resource: Standing Committee Reports (DRSCs)

The Policy Hub

Access the detailed scrutiny of Bills and Budgets.

Official Portal: loksabha.nic.in/Committees
Key Resource: Reports on Bills and Demands for Grants.
Total Committees: 24 (Covering all Ministries).
Motto: "Committee System is the Mini-Parliament."

🏛️ DID YOU KNOW? When Parliament is in session, MPs are busy shouting in the Well. Real work happens after the House adjourns, when MPs meet in small rooms to grill officers. These are the Standing Committees, and unlike the televised House, these meetings are strictly confidential to encourage honest discussion across party lines.

Introduction: The "Mini-Parliaments"

(Where the Real Work Happens)

If the Parliament floor is the "Theatre" of democracy, the Committee Room is its "Workshop."

In the 16th Lok Sabha, 25% of Bills were referred to committees. In the 17th, it dropped. But ideally, every major law—whether it's the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill or the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita—should go to a Departmentally Related Standing Committee (DRSC).

Why do these reports matter to you?

Draft Laws: Before a Bill becomes an Act, the Committee dissects it clause-by-clause. They invite experts (lawyers, NGOs, tech CEOs) to testify. Their report often contains the criticism that the government doesn't want you to hear.
Budget Truths: The Finance Minister's speech is 90 minutes. The Committee's analysis of the Budget (Demands for Grants) takes 3 weeks. They reveal if a Ministry actually spent the money given last year or just sat on it.
Bipartisanship: In the House, a Congress MP must oppose a BJP Bill. In the Committee, behind closed doors, they often agree on technical fixes. The reports reflect a consensus view.

This guide teaches you how to find these reports. If you are a student writing a paper on "Crypto Regulation" or "AI Safety," the Standing Committee report is your primary source citation.

🛠️ The Structure: The "Big 24"

There are 24 DRSCs that cover every single Ministry of the Government of India. They are divided between the two Houses for administrative purposes.

Lok Sabha Committees (16)

These are serviced by the Lok Sabha Secretariat.

Examples: Agriculture, Defence, External Affairs, Finance, Information Technology (IT), Railways.

Rajya Sabha Committees (8)

These are serviced by the Rajya Sabha Secretariat.

Examples: Commerce, Health, Home Affairs, Education, Transport.

Composition: Each committee has 31 Members:

21 from Lok Sabha (Nominated by Speaker).
10 from Rajya Sabha (Nominated by Chairman).
Term: 1 Year (Reconstituted annually).

🔍 How to Find a Report (Step-by-Step)

Searching for reports can be tricky because you need to know which committee handles which topic.

Scenario A: You want to read about the "Surrogacy Bill."

Identify the Ministry: Surrogacy falls under the Ministry of Health.
Identify the Committee: The Health Committee is administered by the Rajya Sabha.
Go to Portal: rajyasabha.nic.in -> Committees -> Reports.
Search: Look for the specific Report Title.

Scenario B: You want to read about "Crypto Regulation."

Identify the Ministry: Finance.
Identify the Committee: The Standing Committee on Finance is under Lok Sabha.
Go to Portal: loksabha.nic.in -> Committees -> DRSC -> Finance.
Search: Look for reports on "Crypto Assets."

Identify the Ministry: Electronics & IT (MeitY).
Identify the Committee: The Standing Committee on Communications & IT is under Lok Sabha.
Go to Portal: loksabha.nic.in.

📖 Decoding the Report Types

When you open the committee page, you will see different categories.

1. Reports on Bills

What it is: The committee examines a specific piece of legislation.
What to read: Look for the "Dissent Notes" at the end. This is where Opposition MPs write why they disagree with the main report. It offers the counter-argument.

2. Reports on Demands for Grants (DFG)

When published: Every year in March/April (During the Budget Session break).
What it is: A detailed audit of the Ministry's budget request.
Value: It tells you the "Utilization Ratio." (e.g., The Army was given ₹100 Cr for modernization but could only spend ₹40 Cr due to red tape.)

3. Action Taken Reports (ATR)

The Follow-up: After the Committee makes a recommendation, the Government must reply within 6 months.
The Verdict: The Committee classifies the replies into:
- Accepted by Govt.
- Not Accepted by Govt (with reasons).
- Pending.

🏛️ Famous Reports: Case Studies

Reading these reports gives you a deep understanding of Indian policy history.

1. The "Net Neutrality" Report (2014-15)

Committee: IT Committee.
Significance: At the height of the Facebook "Free Basics" controversy, the Committee strongly backed Net Neutrality, forcing the government to adopt a pro-consumer stance.

2. The "Demonetization" Report (2017)

Committee: Finance Committee.
Drama: The report was delayed for years due to intense political disagreement on how to describe the impact of the note ban.

3. The "Data Protection Bill" Report (2021)

Committee: Joint Committee (JPC) - Note: Sometimes a special Joint Committee is formed instead of the Standing Committee.
Significance: The committee proposed 89 amendments to the original bill, practically rewriting it. It showed the power of the legislature to correct the executive.

⚖️ Standing Committee vs. Select Committee

Don't confuse the two.

Feature	Standing Committee (DRSC)	Select/Joint Committee
Nature	Permanent. Exists every year.	Ad-hoc. Created for one specific Bill.
Scope	Covers all Bills of a Ministry + Budget.	Covers only the specific Bill assigned.
Dissolution	Never (Reconstituted annually).	Dissolves the moment the report is submitted.
Example	Committee on Finance.	Joint Committee on Waqf Bill.

🔗 Important Links & Resources

Your policy research toolkit:

Lok Sabha Committees: loksabha.nic.in/Committees
Rajya Sabha Committees: rajyasabha.nic.in/Committees
PRS Legislative Research: prsindia.org (The best secondary source that summarizes these reports into 4-page briefs).

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1. Are the committee's recommendations binding?

No. They are advisory. The Government can reject them. However, convention dictates that the Government usually accepts technical suggestions while rejecting political ones. If they reject, they must give a reason in the "Action Taken Report."

Q2. Why are the meetings not televised?

This is a long-standing debate.

Argument Against: If cameras are present, MPs will start "grandstanding" (playing to the gallery) instead of discussing serious technical issues. The secrecy allows an MP from the Ruling Party to question a Bureaucrat without fear of embarrassing their own Minister.
Argument For: Transparency. Citizens have a right to know how laws are shaped.

Q3. Can a common citizen submit suggestions to the committee?

Yes! Whenever a major Bill is referred to a committee, they issue a "Press Communique" asking for public comments.

You can email your memorandum to the Committee Branch.
If your suggestion is valuable, you might even be invited to Delhi to depose (testify) before the MPs.

Q4. What is the "Absenteeism" issue?

A major criticism of DRSCs is low attendance. Often, meetings are adjourned for lack of "Quorum" (minimum 1/3rd members present). Since MPs are busy with constituency work, technical committee work often takes a backseat.

Q5. Which Committee is the most powerful?

While all are equal, the Finance, Home, and Defence committees are considered "Category A" because they handle the most critical national issues. The Commerce committee is also vital for trade policy.

Bookmark this page. Before a law reaches your life, it passes through these rooms. Read the warning signs early.