Consultative Committee meeting for steel ministry

A consultative committee meeting of MPs for the ministry of steel was organised in February to discuss ‘Steel Cluster Development’.

• Which ministry constitutes the consultative committee?

Consultative committee is constituted by the ministry of parliamentary affairs. These committees are attached to various ministries. These committees are forums for discussions between the members of parliament and the government on various programs and their implementation.

• Who acts as the chairperson of consultative committees?

A consultative committee of a ministry is chaired by the minister/ minister of state who is in charge of that particular ministry. The members of the committee are from both houses of the parliament. Membership is voluntary. The committee strength is a maximum of 30 members and a minimum of 10 members.

• Is a consultative committee an example for parliamentary committee?

A consultative committee is not a parliamentary committee. Unlike a parliamentary committee, its members are not elected by the house nor nominated by the presiding officer of the house, it doesn’t work under the direction of the presiding officer (speaker/ chairman), etc.

• Can a consultative committee meeting be held during inter-session period?

A meeting of a consultative committee can be held during the sessions period and also during the inter-sessions period. The consultative meeting of the ministry of steel discussed the development of a new steel cluster development policy, recently.

• Can an informal consultative committee meeting be held during inter-session period?

Unlike a consultative committee, an informal consultative committee meeting cannot be held during inter-session period. They can be conducted only during the sessions period. Example of such committee meeting are those of the railway zones.