Average of 53% MPs attend meetings of 16 Parliamentary Standing Committees, PAC: data

Data compiled by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) revealed that Members of Parliament attended, on average, only 53% of meetings held by the 16 Department...

What Happened

Data compiled by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) revealed that Members of Parliament attended, on average, only 53% of meetings held by the 16 Departmentally Related Standing Committees (DRSCs) under the Lok Sabha.
Five committee meetings were postponed due to failure to achieve quorum — a minimum of 11 members is required for a sitting to proceed.
Notably, on January 5, 2026, the Standing Committee on Water Resources adjourned due to lack of quorum; similarly the Standing Committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj was postponed on April 8, 2026.
Committees covering Railways, Petroleum and Natural Gas, External Affairs, and Finance recorded higher-than-average attendance rates.
Committees covering Agriculture, Chemicals and Fertilisers, Energy, Food and Consumer Affairs, and Social Justice and Empowerment saw below-average attendance.

Static Topic Bridges

DRSCs are permanent parliamentary committees that oversee specific Union ministries and departments. They were first constituted in 1993 and restructured in 2004 into 24 committees — 16 under the Lok Sabha and 8 under the Rajya Sabha. Each committee has 31 members: 21 from Lok Sabha and 10 from Rajya Sabha. Their tenure is one year, after which they are reconstituted. DRSCs examine demands for grants, scrutinise Bills referred to them, and review policy documents of the ministries under their purview.

Total DRSCs: 24 (16 under Lok Sabha, 8 under Rajya Sabha)
Membership: 31 per committee (21 LS + 10 RS)
Tenure: 1 year, reconstituted annually
Established: 1993 (initial form); restructured to current form in 2004
Constitutional basis: Articles 105 (parliamentary privileges) and 118 (rules of procedure)
Key opposition practice: Important committees like Finance and Defence are traditionally chaired by Opposition MPs

Connection to this news: The 16 committees tracked by the PAC are the Lok Sabha DRSCs — the very bodies whose attendance figures are under scrutiny.

Public Accounts Committee (PAC)

The PAC is one of the three major Financial Committees of Parliament (the others being the Estimates Committee and the Committee on Public Undertakings). It was established in 1921 under the Montague-Chelmsford Reforms, making it the oldest parliamentary committee in India. The PAC examines the audit reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), which are placed before Parliament under Article 151 of the Constitution. By convention, the PAC Chairperson is a member of the Opposition.

Established: 1921 (pre-independence; continued post-1947)
Composition: 22 members (15 Lok Sabha + 7 Rajya Sabha)
Examines CAG reports laid before Parliament under Article 151
Chairperson by convention: a senior Opposition MP
Financial Committees Trinity: PAC, Estimates Committee, Committee on Public Undertakings

Connection to this news: The PAC's tracking of committee attendance data is itself an instance of parliamentary oversight — the committee overseeing the functioning of other committees.

Parliamentary Oversight and the Role of Committees

India's Parliament conducts oversight of the executive primarily through Question Hour (Articles 97, 99), Committees, and debates. DRSCs are the most significant mechanism for detailed legislative scrutiny, including clause-by-clause examination of Bills. Unlike debates on the floor, committee deliberations allow expert witnesses, ministry officials, and civil society representatives to be heard. Reports produced by committees are recommendatory and not binding on the government, but they place non-binding pressure on the executive.

Committee reports are recommendatory (not binding)
Bills can be referred to DRSCs by the Speaker (Lok Sabha) or Chairman (Rajya Sabha) or by the House itself
No constitutional provision mandates Bills to be sent to committee; it is a procedural convention
Low attendance weakens the pre-legislative scrutiny function that committees are designed to perform

Connection to this news: A 53% attendance rate, with five quorum-failures, undermines the scrutiny role of DRSCs, making legislative oversight less effective and reducing the quality of Bills passed by Parliament.

Key Facts & Data

Average attendance across 16 Lok Sabha DRSCs: 53%
Quorum required for a DRSC meeting: minimum 11 members
Number of meetings postponed due to lack of quorum: 5
Total DRSCs (Lok Sabha + Rajya Sabha): 24
Each DRSC has 31 members (21 LS + 10 RS)
DRSCs first established: 1993; restructured into current 24-committee format: 2004
PAC established: 1921 (India's oldest parliamentary committee)
PAC composition: 22 members (15 LS + 7 RS)
Constitutional basis for committee functioning: Articles 105 and 118
Article 151: CAG's audit reports are laid before Parliament, examined by PAC