Committees of Rajya Sabha

Parliamentary Committees of the Rajya Sabha may be categorized as ad hoc Committees and Standing Committees.

Ad hoc Committees are those Committees which may be constituted by the House or by the Chairman or by the Presiding Officers of both Houses jointly to consider and report on specific matters. Such Committees become functus officio(having discharged an office i.e. they expire) as soon as they complete their work. 

These Committees may be divided into two categories:

• Select/Joint Committees on Bills constituted by the House(s) on specific motion to consider and report on Bills; and
• Committees which are constituted from time to time to enquire into and report on specific subjects.

Standing Committees are permanent Committees of Rajya Sabha.

The members of these committees are either elected by the House or nominated by the Chairman every year or from time to time. 

These are: 

• Business Advisory Committee, 
• General Purposes Committee, 
• Committee on Government assurances,
• House Committee, Committee on Petitions,
• Committee on Subordinate Legislation,
• Committee on Papers Laid on the Table, 
• Committee of Privileges, 
• Committee on Rules, 
• Committee on Ethics, 
• Committee on Provision of Computers to Members of Rajya Sabha, 
• Committee on Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme and the 
• Department-related Standing Committees.

Chairman of the Committees of Rajya Sabha

The Chairman, Rajya Sabha is the Chairman of the

• Business Advisory Committee, 
• General Purposes Committee and Committee on Rules. 

The Deputy Chairman is the Chairman of the 

• Committee of Privileges. 

In the case of other Standing Committees, namely, 

Committee on Petitions, 

Committee on Government Assurances, 

Committee on Subordinate Legislation, 

Committee on Papers Laid on the Table and 

the House Committee, 

the Chairmanship is shared between the ruling and the opposition parties in proportion to their numerical strength in the House.