This is a standing parliamentary committee which is constituted every year or periodically and works on a continuous basis. It is a pro-independence committee which was setup first in 1921 under the provisions of Government of India Act 1919. At present it consists of 22 members from both the houses of Parliament. The committee examines the annual audit report of CAG which is laid before the Parliament by the President.

In the above paragraph which of the following parliamentary committee has been defined? 

a) Estimates Committee 

b) Committee on Public Undertakings 

c) Business Advisory Committee 

d) Public Accounts Committee

Solution: 

• Public Account Committee (PAC) is a standing parliamentary committee which is constituted every year or periodically and works on a continuous basis. 
• The committee was set up first in 1921 under the provisions of the Government of India Act of 1919 and has since been in existence. 
• It consists of 22 members (15 from the Lok Sabha and 7 from the Rajya Sabha). The members are elected by the Parliament every year from amongst its members according to the principle of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote. 
• A minister cannot be elected as a member of the committee. The chairman of the committee is appointed from amongst its members by the Speaker. 
• The function of the committee is to examine the annual audit reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), which are laid before the Parliament by the President. The committee is assisted by the CAG in the fulfilment of its functions

Ans: (d)