Consider the following statements about the Committee on the Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes of the Parliament of India:
- 1.Although members of this Committee are elected from both Houses of Parliament, the Chairperson of this Committee is appointed by the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
- 2.Twenty members are elected by the Rajya Sabha and ten members by the Lok Sabha.
- 3.No Minister, except for the Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, is eligible to be a member of this Committee.
- 4.Members are elected for a fixed term of two years from the date they enter their office.
Which one of the following conclusions based on the above statements is correct?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (d) There is no correct statement.
The Committee has 30 members: twenty elected by the Lok Sabha and ten nominated by the Rajya Sabha. Its Chairperson is appointed by the Speaker, no Minister can be a member, and members serve for a term not exceeding one year. Every statement gets at least one of these facts wrong.
- ✗ 1. The Chairperson is appointed by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha from among the Committee's members, not by the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha; Rajya Sabha members are nominated by their House.
- ✗ 2. The numbers are reversed: twenty members come from the Lok Sabha and ten from the Rajya Sabha.
- ✗ 3. A Minister cannot be a member at all; the rule makes no exception for the Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment.
- ✗ 4. The term of members shall not exceed one year, not a fixed two years.
Remember · SC/ST Welfare Committee (Rule 331B): 30 members, 20 Lok Sabha + 10 Rajya Sabha; Speaker appoints the Chair; no Minister can serve; term up to one year.
Sources
- Practice and Procedure of Parliament, Lok Sabha Secretariat, Chapter III (Parliamentary Committees): composition ↗ “It consists of 30 members, twenty from Lok Sabha elected from amongst its members according to the principle of proportional representation by means of single transferable vote and ten from Rajya Sabha … A Minister cannot be a member of the Committee and if a member, after election to the Committee, is appointed to such an office, she/he ceases to be a member of the Committee. … The Chairperson of the Committee is appointed by the Speaker from amongst the members of the Committee. The term of office of members of the Committee shall not exceed one year.”
Question and answer: UPSC's provisional GS Paper I (2026, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·