GS POLITY-PARLIAMENT | Sep 2020 HELPFUL FOR UPSC 2020

GS II: POLITY-PARLIAMENT

Venkaiah for two-year fixed tenure for House committees: Tharoor bats for term extension to make up for time lost

    The Rajya Sabha Secretariat is mulling over changing the rules governing the standing committees’ tenure to make it two years from the present one so that the panels have enough time to work on the subjects selected by them.

    The tenure of all standing committees end on September 11, and they can’t hold deliberations till new panels are formed.

    Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu, sources said, was keen on amending the rules to give a fixed two-year tenure. However, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has to agree to it.

    Two options are being looked at: one, to extend the term of the panels for a year, and second, to form new committees with a fixed tenure of two years.

    Many chairpersons of the current panels have felt that a significant amount of the tenure of their committees was lost due to the pandemic.

    Speaking to The Hindu, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor batted for an extension of the terms of the present committees.

    Many panels have not been able to complete reports on the subjects they were working on.