Parliamentary Committees

Statement 1 is Correct: The Ethics Committee of the Lok Sabha was first constituted as an ad-hoc committee by the Speaker in 2000. It became a permanent standing committee of the House only in 2015.

Statement 2 is Incorrect: Any person can make a complaint of unethical conduct against a member of the Lok Sabha. While a complaint made by an outsider must be forwarded by a member of the Lok Sabha, the initiator of the complaint does not necessarily have to be a member of the House.

Statement 3 is Correct: According to the Rules of Procedure, the Ethics Committee cannot take up any matter that is sub-judice, meaning a matter that is currently under consideration or trial by a court of law.

Statement 1 is Correct: Ad Hoc Committees are temporary committees established by Parliament for specific purposes, such as investigating irregularities or reviewing the functioning of specific regulatory bodies through Joint Parliamentary Committees (JPCs).

Statement 2 is Correct: Parliamentary Department Related Standing Committees (DRSCs) ensure executive accountability by reviewing the annual reports, budgetary allocations, and overall performance of statutory regulators falling under their respective ministries.

Statement 3 is Incorrect: The Finance Commission is a constitutional body under Article 280 primarily responsible for recommending the distribution of financial resources (tax proceeds) between the Union and the States.

Statement 4 is Incorrect: The Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission (FSLRC) was an ad hoc body set up to review and rewrite the legal-institutional framework of the financial sector; it does not perform ongoing reviews of sectoral regulators.

Statement 5 is Incorrect: NITI Aayog is a policy think tank that provides strategic and technical advice to the government; it lacks the statutory mandate to formally review or oversee the functioning of independent regulators.

The Committee on Subordinate Legislation (CSL) is specifically tasked with scrutinizing and reporting on the exercise of delegated powers by the executive branch. They ensure the government is acting within the legal boundaries set by Parliament when creating rules, regulations, etc.

Committee on Government Assurances (A) focuses on tracking the implementation of assurances, and promises made by the government in Parliament.

Rules Committee (C) deals with framing rules for the smooth functioning of the Houses of Parliament (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha).

Business Advisory Committee (D) allocates time for different kinds of legislative and other business of the House.

Therefore, only the Committee on Subordinate Legislation directly addresses the scrutiny of delegated powers.

The Committee on Estimates is the largest among the options provided and is the largest of the three Financial Committees of the Parliament. It consists of 30 members, all of whom are elected annually by the Lok Sabha from amongst its members. Notably, the Rajya Sabha has no representation in this committee.

Comparison of Committee Sizes:

* Committee on Estimates: 30 members (All from Lok Sabha). * Committee on Public Accounts: 22 members (15 from Lok Sabha and 7 from Rajya Sabha). * Committee on Public Undertakings: 22 members (15 from Lok Sabha and 7 from Rajya Sabha). * Committee on Petitions: The Lok Sabha committee consists of 15 members, while the Rajya Sabha committee consists of 10 members.

While Department-Related Standing Committees (DRSCs) created in 1993 have 31 members, the Committee on Estimates remains the largest committee of the Lok Sabha and the largest among the specific choices listed in the question.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is a standing parliamentary committee that acts as a watchdog over government spending.

Statement 1 is incorrect: The Committee consists of 22 members, not 25. These members are drawn from both Houses of Parliament—15 from the Lok Sabha and 7 from the Rajya Sabha. They are elected every year from amongst the members according to the principle of proportional representation by means of a single transferable vote.

Statement 2 is correct: The main function of the PAC is to examine the Appropriation Accounts (which compare the actual expenditure with the grants sanctioned by Parliament) and the Finance Accounts of the Government of India to ensure that public money is spent legally and for the intended purpose.

Statement 3 is correct: The Committee examines the audit reports submitted by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India. The CAG assists the Committee during its deliberations, often described as the 'guide, philosopher, and friend' of the PAC.