Question map
Which one of the following is the largest Committee of the Parliament?
Explanation
The Committee on Estimates has 30 members, all from Lok Sabha only.[1] In comparison, the Committee on Public Accounts consists of 22 members (15 from the Lok Sabha and 7 from the Rajya Sabha).[2] The Committee on Public Undertakings also has 22 members: 15 from Lok Sabha and seven members from Rajya Sabha.[3] The Committee on Petitions in the Lok Sabha consists of 15 members, while in the Rajya Sabha it is composed of 10 members.[4] Therefore, with 30 members, the Committee on Estimates is the largest committee of the Parliament.
Sources- [1] Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 24: Parliamentary Committees > Estimates Committee > p. 273
- [2] Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity. 7th ed., McGraw Hill. > Chapter 24: Parliamentary Committees > Pa rlia menta ry Committees > p. 272
- [3] https://prsindia.org/files/parliament/discussion_papers/Parliamentary%20Committees%20Increasing%20their%20effectiveness.pdf
- [4] https://universalinstitutions.com/parliamentary-committees/
PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
Full viewThis is a textbook 'Sitter'—a direct factual hit from standard Polity resources (Laxmikanth/D.D. Basu). Missing this indicates a gap in core static preparation. The strategy is simple: Tabulate the 'Big Three' financial committees (PAC, Estimates, COPU) comparing Size, Composition (LS vs RS), and Chairman criteria.
This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.
- Statement 1: Is the Committee on Public Accounts the largest committee of the Parliament of India?
- Statement 2: Is the Committee on Estimates the largest committee of the Parliament of India?
- Statement 3: Is the Committee on Public Undertakings the largest committee of the Parliament of India?
- Statement 4: Is the Committee on Petitions the largest committee of the Parliament of India?
- This passage lists membership sizes for the financial committees, showing comparative sizes.
- It states the Estimates Committee 'has 30 members', larger than the Public Accounts Committee's membership listed elsewhere in the same document.
- This passage gives the composition of the Public Accounts Committee as 15 Lok Sabha and 7 Rajya Sabha members (22 total).
- Combined with the Estimates Committee size (30), this indicates the Public Accounts Committee is not the largest.
Gives the membership of the Public Accounts Committee (15 members from Lok Sabha + 7 from Rajya Sabha = 22 total).
A student could compare this explicit size (22) with sizes of other parliamentary committees to judge whether PAC is the largest.
Confirms the committee (context implies Public Accounts Committee) 'at present' consists of 22 members (15 Lok Sabha, 7 Rajya Sabha).
Use this repeated attribution of size as a baseline when checking membership numbers of other committees (e.g., Estimates, Public Undertakings).
States that the Committee on Public Undertakings' membership was raised to 22 (15 Lok Sabha + 7 Rajya Sabha).
Shows at least one other committee also has 22 members, so a student should not assume PAC is uniquely largest and should look for committees with >22 members.
Provides sizes of another committee (Ethics Committee: Lok Sabha 5, Rajya Sabha 10), showing many committees can be much smaller than 22.
Helps establish that committee sizes vary; a student can compile these reported sizes to rank committees by membership.
Contains an objective-style question asking 'Which one of the following is the largest Committee of the Parliament?' listing PAC and Public Undertakings among options, implying this is a known comparative fact tested academically.
A student could use the options and the textbook context as a prompt to verify official membership numbers for the named committees to answer which is largest.
- Explicitly states the Estimates Committee's membership was raised to 30 members.
- Identifies the committee composition (all 30 members from Lok Sabha), giving a clear numeric size to compare with other committees.
- Gives the membership strength of the Public Accounts Committee as 22 members (15 Lok Sabha, 7 Rajya Sabha).
- Provides a direct numeric comparison showing PAC is smaller than the Estimates Committee (30).
- States the Joint Committee on Offices of Profit has 15 members (10 Lok Sabha, 5 Rajya Sabha).
- Adds another data point showing other committees have fewer members than the Estimates Committee.
- Gives the membership size of the Committee on Public Undertakings (COPU) as 22 members.
- States that another financial committee (Estimates Committee) has 30 members, showing COPU is smaller.
- Presents a multiple-choice question asking which is the largest committee, listing Estimates and Committee on Public Undertakings as distinct options.
- Implies the question of which committee is largest is settled by comparing those options (Estimates vs COPU).
Gives the membership size of the Committee on Public Undertakings (22 members: 15 Lok Sabha, 7 Rajya Sabha).
A student can compare this stated size (22) with sizes of other parliamentary committees to judge whether it is the largest.
Shows the Committee on Government Assurances has 25 members (15 Lok Sabha + 10 Rajya Sabha).
Since 25 > 22, a student could infer that Public Undertakings (22) is smaller than Government Assurances, suggesting it is not the largest.
Provides sizes of another committee (Ethics Committee: 5 in Lok Sabha, 10 in Rajya Sabha), illustrating that committee sizes vary and some are much smaller.
Use these examples to build a list of committee sizes and rank them to determine which is largest.
Describes the Public Accounts Committee composition as 15 members from the Lok Sabha plus 7 from the Rajya Sabha (total 22).
Compare this 22-member size with the Public Undertakings' 22 and Government Assurances' 25 to assess relative largeness.
Includes a multiple-choice question asking 'Which one of the following is the largest Committee of the Parliament?' with options including Public Accounts and Public Undertakings, indicating that relative sizes are a known point of comparison.
Use the MCQ prompt as a cue to check official membership counts for the listed committees to answer which is largest.
Gives the membership strength of the Committee on Petitions (Lok Sabha 15 + Rajya Sabha 10 = 25 total).
A student can sum members across houses and compare this total (25) with totals of other committees to judge 'largest'.
States the Committee on Public Undertakings was raised to 22 members (15 LS + 7 RS), providing a direct comparison point (22 vs 25).
Compare its total (22) with the Petitions committee total (25) to see which is larger among those listed.
Shows several joint committees have 15 members (10 LS + 5 RS), indicating many committees are smaller than 25.
Using these typical sizes (15), a student can infer that many committees are smaller than the Petitions committee unless other evidence shows larger membership.
Describes a committee with 22 members and explains that members are elected yearly and that ministers cannot be members—illustrating membership rules and typical sizes.
Combine the membership size (22) and the described selection rules to see if procedural constraints tend to limit committee sizes below the Petitions committee's 25.
Lists Committee on Petitions among several 'committees to inquire', suggesting it is one of multiple standing/special committees rather than uniquely large.
A student can note that committees belong to categories (inquiry, joint, etc.) and check typical membership norms per category to assess which might be largest.
- [THE VERDICT]: Sitter. Direct retrieval from Laxmikanth Chapter 24 (Parliamentary Committees).
- [THE CONCEPTUAL TRIGGER]: The mechanism of 'Parliamentary Control over Finance' and the specific composition of Standing Committees.
- [THE HORIZONTAL EXPANSION]: Memorize the 'Big Three' Matrix: Estimates (30 members, All LS); PAC (22 members, 15 LS + 7 RS); COPU (22 members, 15 LS + 7 RS). Also note Departmental Standing Committees (31 members: 21 LS + 10 RS).
- [THE STRATEGIC METACOGNITION]: When studying bodies/committees, always look for the 'Superlatives' (Largest, Oldest) and the 'Exceptions' (Which one has NO Rajya Sabha members?). Create a comparative chart rather than reading paragraphs linearly.
References state PAC's composition as 15 Lok Sabha members plus 7 Rajya Sabha members, totalling 22.
Questions often ask numerical composition and party representation of key parliamentary committees. Knowing PAC's exact strength and composition helps answer direct factual questions and compare it with other committees. Memorise the common key committees and their member-strengths; use tabular notes for quick recall.
- Introduction to the Constitution of India, D. D. Basu (26th ed.). > Chapter 12: The Union Legislature > p. 260
- Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 24: Parliamentary Committees > Pa rlia menta ry Committees > p. 272
Evidence describes PAC's duty to examine CAG reports and scrutinise Appropriation Accounts and related expenditures.
UPSC frequently tests institutional oversight (CAG → PAC → Parliament). Mastering PAC's functions clarifies India’s financial accountability architecture and helps answer both static and analytical questions on parliamentary oversight and audit mechanism. Learn by mapping roles (CAG report → PAC scrutiny → parliamentary discussion).
- Introduction to the Constitution of India, D. D. Basu (26th ed.). > Chapter 12: The Union Legislature > p. 261
- Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 24: Parliamentary Committees > Pa rlia menta ry Committees > p. 272
References show CPU's membership was raised to 22 (15 Lok Sabha, 7 Rajya Sabha), matching PAC's strength.
Recognising that multiple committees can have identical strengths prevents incorrect inferences about 'largest' committee based solely on one committee's numbers. Useful for comparative questions on parliamentary committees; retain facts about several major committees (PAC, CPU, Estimates) to answer such comparisons accurately.
- Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity. 7th ed., McGraw Hill. > Chapter 24: Parliamentary Committees > Committee on Public Undertakings > p. 273
- Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 24: Parliamentary Committees > Committee on Public Undertakings > p. 273
The references provide explicit numeric strengths for the Estimates Committee (30), PAC (22) and other committees (e.g., 15), which directly address which is the largest.
UPSC often asks about composition and comparative strengths of parliamentary committees; memorising key committee sizes enables quick elimination in MCQs and informed answers in mains. Link this to routine comparison practice and flashcards listing committees by size and house-wise break-up.
- Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 24: Parliamentary Committees > Estimates Committee > p. 273
- Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity. 7th ed., McGraw Hill. > Chapter 24: Parliamentary Committees > Pa rlia menta ry Committees > p. 272
- Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 24: Parliamentary Committees > Joint Committee on Offices of Profit > p. 278
Evidence shows the Estimates Committee members are all from Lok Sabha, while PAC and other committees include members from both houses.
Questions test not only sizes but also representation (Lok Sabha vs Rajya Sabha). Understanding which committees are Lok Sabha-only versus joint helps answer both factual and analytical questions on parliamentary oversight. Prepare by tabulating committees against house-representation and practising related MCQs.
- Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 24: Parliamentary Committees > Estimates Committee > p. 273
- Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity. 7th ed., McGraw Hill. > Chapter 24: Parliamentary Committees > Pa rlia menta ry Committees > p. 272
References identify the Estimates Committee's role (examining budget estimates and suggesting economies) and the PAC's role (examining CAG audit reports), highlighting functional differentiation among financial committees.
UPSC frequently tests the roles of standing committees (Prelims and Mains). Knowing function + size is high-yield: it allows candidates to explain why certain committees have different compositions and approximate workloads. Study by linking each committee's function to its typical membership and outputs (reports).
- Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 24: Parliamentary Committees > Estimates Committee > p. 273
- Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity. 7th ed., McGraw Hill. > Chapter 24: Parliamentary Committees > Pa rlia menta ry Committees > p. 272
Several references state numeric membership strengths for different parliamentary committees (e.g., 22 for some committees; 15+10 for others).
UPSC often asks comparative questions on committee composition and size. Knowing typical member counts helps eliminate options in MCQs and supports answers on committee powers and representation. Revise tabulated strengths from standard sources and practice comparison-based MCQs.
- Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity. 7th ed., McGraw Hill. > Chapter 24: Parliamentary Committees > Committee on Public Undertakings > p. 273
- Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 24: Parliamentary Committees > Committee on Government Assurances > p. 278
- Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 24: Parliamentary Committees > Pa rlia menta ry Committees > p. 272
The 'Departmental Standing Committees' (DRSCs) actually have 31 members (21 LS + 10 RS), which is technically larger than the Estimates Committee (30). If DRSC were an option, it would be the answer. The next logical question is on the 'Chairman' convention: PAC Chairman is invariably from the Opposition (since 1967), while Estimates Committee Chairman is always from the Ruling Party.
Apply the 'Money = Popular House' logic. The Estimates Committee deals with the Budget (Money). In the Indian system, the Lok Sabha has overriding powers on Money. Therefore, the committee dealing with Estimates is likely to be Lok Sabha-centric. Being the 'House of the People' (543 members vs 245), a committee drawn exclusively from it or heavily weighted towards it is logically likely to be the largest.
Mains GS-II (Parliamentary Oversight): The Estimates Committee's exclusive Lok Sabha composition reinforces the constitutional principle that the 'Power of the Purse' lies with the directly elected house. Use this fact to substantiate answers on the limitations of Rajya Sabha in financial matters.