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In India, which of the following review the independent regulators in sectors like telecommunications, insurance, electricity, etc.? 1. Ad Hoc Committees set up by the Parliament 2. Parliamentary Department Related Standing Committees 3. Finance Commission 4. Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission 5. NITI Aayog Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Explanation
The correct answer is option A (1 and 2) because independent sectoral regulators in India are reviewed through Parliament's committee mechanisms.
India has relatively comprehensive regulators in sectors like telecommunications [1]and electricity, and these regulators are subject to parliamentary oversight. Parliamentary Department Related Standing Committees (DRSCs) are permanent committees that examine the functioning of various ministries and their attached bodies, including independent regulators. These committees scrutinize their annual reports, budgets, and policies. Additionally, Ad Hoc Committees can be constituted by Parliament for specific purposes, including reviewing the performance and functioning of regulators in particular sectors.
While existing laws and rules establish the mandates of sectoral regulators, there is a need to address gaps in the powers and independence of the regulators, especially in the infrastructure sectors[2], which indicates ongoing parliamentary review and concern about their functioning.
Options 3, 4, and 5 are incorrect because the Finance Commission primarily deals with fiscal federalism and resource allocation between the Centre and states, the Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission was a one-time body focused on financial sector laws, and NITI Aayog, while a policy think tank, does not have a formal review mandate over independent regulators, though it may suggest policy improvements.
Sources- [1] https://www.niti.gov.in/sites/default/files/2023-08/11th_vol1.pdf
- [2] https://www.niti.gov.in/sites/default/files/2021-08/India_ActionAgenda.pdf
PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
Guest previewThis question tests the fundamental concept of 'Executive Accountability' in a parliamentary democracy. It filters aspirants who understand that the ultimate oversight ('review') of statutory regulators lies with the Legislature (Parliament) via its Committees, not with advisory think-tanks (NITI) or fiscal distribution bodies (Finance Commission).
This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.
- Statement 1: Do Ad Hoc Committees set up by the Parliament of India review independent sectoral regulators such as those for telecommunications, insurance, and electricity?
- Statement 2: Do Parliamentary Department-Related Standing Committees of the Indian Parliament review independent regulators in sectors such as telecommunications, insurance, and electricity?
- Statement 3: Does the Finance Commission of India review independent sectoral regulators such as those for telecommunications, insurance, and electricity?
- Statement 4: Did the Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission (FSLRC) of India review independent regulators in sectors such as telecommunications, insurance, and electricity?
- Statement 5: Does NITI Aayog review independent sectoral regulators such as those for telecommunications, insurance, and electricity in India?
Defines ad hoc committees as Inquiry or Advisory Committees constituted to inquire into and report on specific subjects.
A student could infer that Parliament could constitute an ad hoc inquiry into regulatory bodies (telecom/insurance/electricity) when a specific issue arises and then check historical examples.
Explains that Joint Parliamentary Committees (JPCs) can be set up for discussing particular bills or matters and that standing committees supervise departments and related work.
Use this pattern (special committees for particular matters) to hypothesize that Parliament might use ad hoc or joint committees to review independent regulators and then look for such committee reports.
Describes Department-Related Standing Committees (DRSCs) whose remit is to secure accountability of the Executive and to cover ministries/departments.
Since DRSCs supervise departments, a student could compare whether regulators fall under departmental oversight or are instead dealt with by ad hoc committees in specific cases.
Shows that Parliament has a Committee on Subordinate Legislation which scrutinizes exercise of delegated powers and regulations.
Because regulators issue rules/regs under delegated powers, one could extend that parliamentary committees (standing or ad hoc) concerned with subordinate legislation might review regulator actions; check instances involving sectoral regulators.
Presents a multiple-choice question listing 'Ad Hoc Committees set up by the Parliament' and 'Parliamentary Department Related Standing Committees' as possible reviewers of independent regulators.
Treat this as an example showing the topic is debated in study material; a student could use it to guide targeted searches for case examples where ad hoc committees examined sectoral regulators.
States that department-related standing committees supervise the work of various departments, their budget, expenditure and bills related to the department.
A student could infer that if regulators report to or are linked with specific ministries, DRSCs might scrutinize those regulators' budgets, reports or bills affecting them.
Explains DRSCs cover all ministries/departments and their main objective is to secure accountability of the Executive, particularly financial accountability.
Using knowledge of which ministry oversees a regulator (e.g., telecom under a ministry), one could test whether the corresponding DRSC has remit to examine that regulator.
Lists specific functions of DRSCs such as examining bills pertaining to concerned ministries/departments and considering annual reports of ministries/departments.
A student could check whether independent regulators produce annual reports or are subject to bills/regulations tied to a ministry, which would bring them within DRSC scrutiny.
Identifies the Committee on Subordinate Legislation as the body that scrutinizes whether delegated powers (rules, by-laws, etc.) are properly exercised by the Executive.
Since independent regulators often make subordinate regulations, one could extend this to examine whether such regulation-making is reviewed by this committee alongside or instead of DRSCs.
Contains a multiple-choice question asking which bodies review independent regulators and lists 'Parliamentary Department Related Standing Committees' as an option.
A student could take this as an indicator that DRSCs are considered by some sources as potential reviewers and then verify against the jurisdictions of specific DRSCs and regulators.
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This is an examination question that explicitly lists the Finance Commission among possible bodies that 'review the independent regulators in sectors like telecom, municipalities, insurance, electricity, etc.' — indicating an association in teaching materials.
A student could treat this as a hint to check the Finance Commission's Terms of Reference (ToR) or past reports to see if they include review of sectoral regulators.
Describes the Finance Commission as a constitutional, quasi‑judicial body with an advisory role and as the 'balancing wheel of fiscal federalism' — suggesting its remit is fiscal and policy‑related.
One could infer that reviews it performs would likely be fiscal or federal‑relation focused and then examine whether sectoral regulator reviews fit that fiscal remit.
Punchhi Commission excerpts recommend referring certain matters to the next Finance Commission or expert committees and that ToRs of the Finance Commission should be even‑handed — implying the Finance Commission can be assigned review tasks by mandate.
A student could check whether parliamentary/official ToRs given to specific Finance Commissions have included reviews of regulators.
Shows existence of an independent sectoral regulator (CERC for electricity) as a fact example of the type of bodies mentioned in the statement.
Knowing regulators like CERC exist, a student could look into whether Finance Commission reports reference CERC or its financial/fiscal interactions with states/centre.
Describes the establishment of a sectoral regulator (IRDA) for insurance — another concrete example of independent regulators referenced in the statement.
A student might search Finance Commission reports or ToRs for mentions of IRDA or insurance‑sector fiscal issues to test whether the Commission conducts such reviews.
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This exam-style snippet lists 'Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Committee' among items in a question asking which bodies 'review the independent regulators in sectors like telecom, municipalities, insurance, electricity, etc.' — directly linking the FSLRC to the topic of reviewing independent regulators.
A student could use this to suspect FSLRC's relevance and then check the FSLRC mandate to see whether it explicitly covers non-financial regulators (telecom, electricity) or is limited to financial-sector regulators.
Describes the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) as dealing with 'inter-regulatory coordination' and respecting 'autonomy of regulators', showing a pattern where financial-sector bodies focus on coordination among regulators.
A student could infer that bodies with financial-sector names (like FSLRC) might primarily target financial regulators, and thus check whether telecom/electricity fall within its scope or are excluded.
Lists domestic financial regulators (RBI, SEBI, PFRDA, IRDAI), signalling that insurance regulation (IRDAI) is conventionally treated as part of the financial-regulatory domain.
A student could reasonably extend that FSLRC, by its name, would be expected to review regulators such as IRDAI (insurance) and other financial regulators, and should verify whether insurance was explicitly included in its review.
Explains the existence and reform of the insurance regulator (IRDA), demonstrating that insurance is a clearly defined regulatory domain.
A student could use this to separate insurance (a financial regulator) from telecom/electricity (non-financial) and thereby test whether FSLRC's remit logically aligns with including insurance but not necessarily telecom/electricity.
Describes precedent of high-level committees (e.g., Narasimhan Committee) constituted to review and recommend reforms for the financial sector, showing the common practice of forming sector-specific review bodies.
A student could infer that FSLRC, as a sector-specific reform commission, most likely focused on financial regulators; they should therefore check whether it extended its review to non-financial independent regulators like telecom and electricity.
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- The NITI document explicitly considers structural options for regulators, including communications and electricity, indicating it reviews regulatory arrangements.
- Proposes consideration of multi-sectoral regulators, showing NITI assesses how sectoral regulators are organised and could be reformed.
- States it is appropriate to review the experience in these sectors (including telecommunications and electricity), showing NITI's role in reviewing sectoral regulatory experience.
- Frames the need to benchmark sectoral regulators against international best practices, indicating evaluation and review activity.
- Directly discusses sectoral regulators and identifies gaps in their powers and independence, implying NITI has reviewed and assessed these regulators.
- Specifically highlights infrastructure sectors, which include electricity, as needing reforms to regulator mandates and resources.
This practice-question explicitly asks which bodies review independent regulators and lists 'NITI Aayog' as one of the possible reviewers, indicating the topic is debated or considered in standard sources.
A student could use this to check parliamentary/official lists of regulator-review bodies or past answers/explanations to such MCQs to see if NITI Aayog is treated as a reviewer.
States NITI Aayog's functions include 'Monitoring and evaluation' and that it has verticals/cells examining sectoral issues and priorities for national development.
One could infer NITI Aayog has institutional capacity to review sectoral performance and then look up whether that activity explicitly covers independent regulators (telecom, insurance, electricity).
Describes NITI Aayog as the premier policy 'Think Tank' providing directional and technical inputs to Centre and States.
A student might reason that an advisory/technical body could review regulatory performance and therefore check NITI Aayog reports or mandates for reviews of independent regulators.
Notes NITI Aayog is a non-statutory policy think tank established to provide strategic and technical advice to the Central Government—implying advisory (not necessarily supervisory) role over sectors.
Use this to distinguish advisory versus formal review authority and then consult statutory mandates of sectoral regulators to see if NITI Aayog has a formal review role.
Explains NITI Aayog promotes competitive federalism via sectoral indices and rankings, showing it assesses sectoral performance across states.
A student could extend this by checking whether such assessments include evaluation of independent regulators' functioning or are limited to state-level service outcomes.
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- [THE VERDICT]: Sitter (Conceptual) + Laxmikanth (Chapter 24). Solvable by knowing the core mandate of Parliamentary Committees.
- [THE CONCEPTUAL TRIGGER]: Parliamentary Control over the Executive. Specifically, how Parliament scrutinizes autonomous bodies through the 'Committee System'.
- [THE HORIZONTAL EXPANSION]: Memorize the 4 specific functions of Department-Related Standing Committees (DRSCs): 1. Consider Demands for Grants, 2. Examine Bills, 3. Consider Annual Reports (including those of Regulators like TRAI/CERC), 4. Consider policy documents.
- [THE STRATEGIC METACOGNITION]: Map the 'Verb' to the 'Body'. 'Review' implies accountability. NITI Aayog 'Advises'. Finance Commission 'Distributes'. FSLRC 'Reforms' (one-time). Only Parliament 'Reviews' (Oversight). Always classify bodies as: Oversight vs. Advisory vs. Fiscal.
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Ad-hoc committees are constituted as Inquiry or Advisory bodies to inquire into and report on specific subjects.
High-yield for UPSC because questions often ask about types and functions of parliamentary committees; mastering this clarifies which bodies Parliament can empanel for specific investigations and oversight. Connects to legislative procedure, oversight mechanisms and accountability of executive agencies.
- Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 24: Parliamentary Committees > Ad Hoc Committees > p. 271
- Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity. 7th ed., McGraw Hill. > Chapter 24: Parliamentary Committees > Ad Hoc Committees > p. 271
DRSCs are established to secure accountability of the Executive, cover ministries/departments and assist Parliament in financial and budgetary scrutiny.
Important for UPSC as DRSCs are frequently tested in questions on parliamentary oversight and budgetary control; understanding their composition and role helps distinguish standing committees from ad-hoc or joint committees and addresses questions on institutional oversight of regulators and ministries.
- Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 24: Parliamentary Committees > DEPARTMENT-RELATED STANDING COMMITTEES > p. 274
- Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity. 7th ed., McGraw Hill. > Chapter 24: Parliamentary Committees > DEPARTMENT-RELATED STANDING COMMITTEES > p. 274
Joint Parliamentary Committees can be set up to discuss particular bills or matters requiring focused parliamentary examination.
Useful for UPSC aspirants because JPCs illustrate how Parliament forms special joint bodies for detailed scrutiny, which helps answer questions on mechanisms Parliament uses beyond standing committees; links to scrutiny of legislation and select investigations.
- Indian Constitution at Work, Political Science Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 5: LEGISLATURE > WH AT DO THE COMMITTEES OF PARLIAMENT DO? A significant feature of the legislative process > p. 118
- Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 24: Parliamentary Committees > Joint Committee on Salaries and Allowances of Members of Parliament > p. 279
DRSCs are parliamentary bodies created to secure executive accountability and they have jurisdiction over all ministries and departments.
High-yield: Questions on parliamentary oversight, accountability and committee roles frequently appear in both prelims and mains. Mastering DRSC purpose and scope helps answer comparisons of committee types, roles in governance, and institutional checks on the executive.
- Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity. 7th ed., McGraw Hill. > Chapter 24: Parliamentary Committees > DEPARTMENT-RELATED STANDING COMMITTEES > p. 274
- Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 24: Parliamentary Committees > DEPARTMENT-RELATED STANDING COMMITTEES > p. 274
DRSCs supervise departmental work, scrutinise budgets, examine bills, and consider annual reports of ministries/departments.
High-yield: Understanding these functions is essential for questions on legislative process, financial oversight and parliamentary control of the executive; it links to public finance, parliamentary procedures and governance topics.
- Indian Constitution at Work, Political Science Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 5: LEGISLATURE > WH AT DO THE COMMITTEES OF PARLIAMENT DO? A significant feature of the legislative process > p. 118
- Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity. 7th ed., McGraw Hill. > Chapter 24: Parliamentary Committees > DEPARTMENT-RELATED STANDING COMMITTEES > p. 276
There are 24 DRSCs set up to cover the various ministries/departments, and each committee has a fixed membership drawn from both Houses.
Moderate-high: Knowing the number, membership composition and departmental coverage is useful for factual prelims questions and for explaining how committee representation supports parliamentary scrutiny in mains answers.
- Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity. 7th ed., McGraw Hill. > Chapter 24: Parliamentary Committees > DEPARTMENT-RELATED STANDING COMMITTEES > p. 274
- Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity. 7th ed., McGraw Hill. > Chapter 24: Parliamentary Committees > DEPARTMENT-RELATED STANDING COMMITTEES > p. 275
The Finance Commission is a constitutional quasi‑judicial body constituted under Article 280 and its functions determine fiscal allocations and advisory roles relevant to questions about institutional review.
High-yield for UPSC: mastering the Finance Commission's mandate, composition, periodicity and advisory capacity helps answer questions on fiscal federalism, Terms of Reference (ToR) and interactions with other bodies. This concept links to Centre‑state relations, fiscal transfers and institutional checks, and enables tackling questions on which bodies can review or influence fiscal/regulatory matters.
- Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 46: Finance Commission > CHAPTER" 46 Finance Commission > p. 431
- Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity. 7th ed., McGraw Hill. > Chapter 46: Finance Commission > CHAPTER" 46 Finance Commission > p. 431
- Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity. 7th ed., McGraw Hill. > Chapter 46: Finance Commission > ADVISORY ROLE > p. 432
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The 'Committee on Subordinate Legislation'. While DRSCs review the general functioning/budget of regulators, this specific committee reviews the *rules and regulations* framed by these regulators to ensure they haven't exceeded their delegated powers (Delegated Legislation).
Use the 'Domain Name Mismatch' hack. Option 4 is 'Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission'. The question asks about 'Telecommunications' and 'Electricity'. A *Financial* commission will not review *Telecom* or *Power* sectors. Eliminate Option 4 (removes B and C). Now compare A vs D. NITI Aayog (5) is a Think Tank, not an Audit/Review body. Eliminate 5. Answer is A.
Mains GS-2: 'Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies'. Use this fact to critique regulatory accountability in Mains: 'While DRSCs exist, their technical capacity to review complex regulatory sectors (like AI or Crypto) is limited,' citing the need for specialized oversight.
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