CHAPTER -
VIII
CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE
8.1 The present Consultative Committee of Members of Parliament in their broad features, owe their origin to the suggestions set out by the late Prime Minister Shri Jawahar Lal Nehru in 1954 in a note circulated to the Members of Cabinet. Shri Nehru wanted some kind of Standing Advisory Consultative Committees of Parliament to provide opportunity to Members to have some glimpse in to the working of the Government which would also have the effect of reducing the number of questions asked by Members. Accordingly, Informal Consultative Committees were constituted for the various Ministries/Departments of the Government of India.
8.2 In 1969, discussions were held with leaders of Opposition Parties/Groups in Parliament and detailed guidelines (Appendix-VI) were drawn up for constitution and functioning of these Committees. It was also then decided that these Committees would be known as "Consultative Committees" retaining, however, the informal nature of deliberations in these Committees. These Committees have, since then, been functioning under these guidelines.
8.3 The main features of these Committees are as under:
(i) The membership of these Committees is voluntary and is left to the choice of the Members and the Leaders of their Parties.
(ii) The main objective of these Committees is informal consultation between the Government and the Members of Parliament on the policies and programmes of the Government and the manner of implementation thereof.
(iii) The Committees are chaired by the Minister incharge of the Ministries to which the Committees relate.
(iv) The maximum membership of a Committee is 40. The Committees are normally constituted if there are 10 or more Members who have chosen to be nominated on the Committee.
(v) Members can be nominated as Permanent Special Invitees on a Consultative Committee if they have special interest in the subjects of a particular Ministry/Department. The maximum number of Permanent Special Invitees on a Consultative Committee can be 4 Members (hitherto for only two Permanent Special Invitees could be nominated on a Consultative Committee)
(vi) Meetings of these Committees are held both during Session periods and Inter-session periods.
(vii) Agenda items are either called from Members or decided by the Ministry themselves in consultation with the Members of the Committee.
(viii) Members, who are not Members of a Committee, may be invited to the meetings of the Committee as special invitees if they have given notice of any subject for inclusion in the agenda and the same has been included in the agenda, or if they express their desire to participate in the discussion of any meeting of such Committee and the same has been approved by the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs.
(ix) No decision are taken by these Committees. However, where there is unanimity of view in the Committee, Government will normally accept the few subject to certain conditions laid down in the guidelines.
(x) Senior Officers of the Ministries are present at the meeting to assist the Ministers and to furnish any clarifications required.
(xi) In keeping with the informal nature of discussion at the meeting, the Guidelines make it incumbent on the Members and also on the Government not to mention on the floor of either House about any thing that happens in these Committees.
Consultative Committees
8.4 After General Election to the Twelfth Lok Sabha, 29 Consultative Committees for the various Ministries/Departments were constituted in June/August, 1998 (Appendix-VII). The number of meetings held and important subjects discussed at the meetings of those committees are given in Appendix-VIII
Sub-Committees/Study groups
of Consultative Committees
8.5 The Consultative Committee have been setting up Sub-Committees/Study Groups for the purpose of going into any particular aspect of the working of the concerned Ministry and submitting reports for consideration of the Committee. During the period under report, no Sub-Committee of the Consultative Committee was constituted.
Informal Consultative
Committees of Railway zones
8.6 Informal Consultative Committees of Members of Parliament are constituted for the Railway Zones. There are nine such Committees functioning at present. All the Members of Parliament belonging to the areas of particular Railway Zone are nominated on the Informal Consultative Committee of that Railway Zone.
8.7 The discussion at these meetings are purely informal, Members are at liberty to raise any point relating to the working of Railway in their zones.
8.8 The meetings of these Committees are held only during the session periods. No TA/DA is required to be paid for attending Informal Consultative Committee meeting. During the period under report, meetings of the following Informal Consultative Committees were held:
Name of Informal Consultative
Committee
Date of meeting
(i) Central Railway Zone 8.12.98
(ii) Eastern Railway Zone 15.12.98
(iii) Northern Railway Zone 22.12.98
Meetings of Consultative
Committees outside Delhi
8.9 As per instructions, one meeting of a Consultative Committee can be held outside Delhi in a year during an inter-session period anywhere in India. During the period under report, meeting of the Consultative Committees of the following Ministries were held outside Delhi:
Sl. Name of Ministry Date of meeting/place
No.
1. Coal 4.9.98 Puri (Orissa)
2. Civil Aviation 9.9.98 Mumbai
3. Defence 25.9.98 Avadi, Chennai
4. Health & Family Welfare 14.10.98 & 15.10.98 Thiruvananthapuram
5. Surface Transport 23.10.98 Mumbai
6. Rural Areas & Employment 26.10.98 Thiruvananthapuram
7. Power 3.11.98 Goa
8. Textiles 12.11.98 Surat (Gujarat)
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