ESTIMATES COMMITTEE - POLITY

News: Pending works in nine departments will be expedited, says Assembly Estimates Committee

 

What's in the news?

       Recently, the Chairman of Estimates Committee of Tamil Nadu Assembly, G. Anbazhagan said that pending works and schemes in nine departments that are looked into will be earmarked and completed at the earliest.

 

About Estimates committee:

       The Estimates Committee is a type of financial Committee that examines the estimates included in the budget presented to Parliament.

       It was established in 1950.

       It is a 30-member Lok Sabha (lower House of Parliament) committee whose members are elected by the Lok Sabha from among its members.

       Members are elected every year from amongst Lok Sabha members according to the principle of proportional representation by means of a single transferable vote. Thus all parties get due representation in the committee.

       No minister can be a member of the estimates committee

       Chairman of the Estimates committee is appointed by Speaker of the Lok Sabha from amongst its members

       The chairman appointed invariably belongs to the ruling party.

 

Functions:

       To report the kind of economies, progressive improvements in organization, efficiency, and administrative reforms in line with the policy underlying the estimates, can be affected.

       To suggest alternative policies to bring about efficiency and economy in administration.

       To examine whether the money is well laid out within the limits of the policy implied in the estimates.

       To suggest in forth in which the estimates are to be presented to Parliament.

       The committee functions would not include a government undertaking that has been referred to the Committee on Public Undertakings. Also, the committee may continue the examination of the estimates from time to time, throughout the financial year and report to the house as its examination proceeds.

       The committee selects estimates for a ministry or department of the central government, or for such statutory and other entities of the central government as it deems appropriate, from time to time.

       The committee also examines problems of special interest that arise during its work or are explicitly submitted to it by the house or the speaker.

       The committee seeks preparatory materials from relevant entities in relation to the subjects under consideration, as well as opinions from non-officials with the understanding of the subjects for use by committee members.