Standing Committees reconstituted: Tharoor heads External Affairs panel
Why in the news
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has reconstituted several Departmentally Related Standing Committees (DRSCs). Their term takes effect from 26 September 2026.
Key facts
- Effective date: 26 September 2026.
- Composition: the Finance and External Affairs panels each have 21 Lok Sabha and 10 Rajya Sabha members.
- Opposition (Congress) MPs chair External Affairs, Agriculture and Rural Development.
Committees and chairpersons
| Committee | Chairperson |
|---|---|
| Finance | Bhartruhari Mahtab (BJP) |
| External Affairs | Shashi Tharoor (Congress) |
| Defence | Radha Mohan Singh (BJP) |
| Railways | Sudhir Gupta (BJP) |
| Communications and IT | Nishikant Dubey (BJP) |
| Water Resources | Rajiv Pratap Rudy (BJP) |
| Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Food Processing | Charanjit Singh Channi (Congress) |
| Chemicals and Fertilizers | Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar |
| Rural Development and Panchayati Raj | Saptagiri Ulaka (Congress) |
About Departmentally Related Standing Committees
DRSCs were first set up in 1993 with 17 committees, on the recommendation of the Lok Sabha Rules Committee; seven more were added in 2004, taking the total to 24. Of these, 16 work under the Lok Sabha and 8 under the Rajya Sabha. Each has 31 members – 21 nominated by the Lok Sabha Speaker and 10 by the Rajya Sabha Chairman – and serves a one-year term from its constitution. Ministers cannot be members.
Exam angle
- Total DRSCs: 24 (16 Lok Sabha, 8 Rajya Sabha); 31 members each.
- Finance: Bhartruhari Mahtab; External Affairs: Shashi Tharoor; Defence: Radha Mohan Singh.
- Term of a DRSC: one year.