Defunct for decades, U.P. assembly revives its standing committees

After decades, the Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha has revived the tradition of having standing committees to advise ministers and ensure the participation of the people in governance through their public representatives.The move is line with the political philosophy of giving more power to the people and comes amid transformational changes being ushered in with the use of technology in the legislature.

Though the provision to have 30 standing committees of the legislature attached to important departments has been there in Schedule-3 of Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha (speaker’s directives), the committees failed to function as they were either not constituted or did not meet for decades.After being constituted on September 26, 2024 more than half the 30 standing committees have held their meetings. The rest have been asked to meet at least once before March 31, 2025.

“Yes, we got the standing committees constituted. I spoke to every minister (heading the committees) personally and requested them to have a meeting of the standing committee of their department. As of now, 16 committees have held their meetings. As some of the ministers were busy with the Prayagraj Mahakumbh-2025, I have asked them to ensure that all the standing committees meet before March 31, 2025,” said Uttar Pradesh legislative assembly speaker Satish Mahana over the phone.

Those aware of the development said the last available records show that the orders to constitute the standing committees were issued on March 17, 2004. There is, however, no record of whether these committees had any meetings. Mahana made the announcement about the beginning of functioning of these committees in the state assembly during the recently concluded budget session.

“I have been in the Vidhan Sabha for 35 years. The standing committees, meant to advise the ministers, have either not been constituted in the past 35 years or have not held their meetings. I had discussions on this with minister for parliamentary affairs Suresh Khanna. I also had discussions with chief minister Yogi Adityanath and he, the leader of the house (CM), readily agreed with the idea of constituting these committees. So, these committees were constituted. No meetings were held earlier because these committees were not constituted till then,” said Mahana in the state on March 4, 2025.

Minister of state for skill development Kapildev Agarwal, who was among the first ones to convene the standing committee meeting, said the legislators have given valuable suggestions.“All the legislators have experience being people’s representatives. We got valuable suggestions, some about the functioning of the department or in other fields. This was a good experience. We will hold such meetings at least twice every year,” Agarwal said.

While Agarwal presided over one standing committee meeting on October 22, 2024, the minister for panchayati raj did so over another on March 4, 2025.The minister for higher education proposes to hold the meeting of the standing committee concerned on March 10, 2025. The standing committee on cooperatives is scheduled to meet on March 24, said a senior officer of the UP Vidhan Sabha.

The committee system has evolved in the state legislature over a period of 100 years.The functioning of the committees began in 1921. That was when two financial committees – the Standing Finance Committee and the Public Accounts Committee- were constituted on a permanent basis. A bicameral legislature was constituted under the Government of India Act, 1935 and the financial powers of the Legislative Councils were transferred to the Legislative Assembly. So, the two committees mentioned above were abolished from the council and were reconstituted in the Legislative Assembly. Later in 1938, the Committee on Privileges was constituted in the Legislative Council. Other committees came into existence later.

Under Schedule-3 of the Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha (Speaker’s directives), a provision to have 30 standing committees to advise the ministers has been made. Out of 20 legislators to be nominated as members to be standing committees, there is a provision to have 16 members from the lower house and four members from the upper house. The standing committees are expected to meet at least two to three times every year.

An order issued by the state legislative assembly secretariat on September 26, 2024 lists the legislators nominated as the members of 30 standing committees.Schedule-3 of the Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha (speaker’s directives) indicates that the standing committees can make suggestions on all the issues concerning the respective department (to which they are attached), barring appointments and transfers. The first committee given on the schedule-3 list is the standing committee about scheduled caste/scheduled tribe and social welfare departments. Other committees include the ones attached to general administration, PWD, irrigation, energy, education, forest, revenue, justice and legislation, agriculture, excise, prisons, police, traffic, medical and health, information, industry, civil supplies, planning, cooperatives, women and child development, training and employment, tourism, sports, sales tax (VAT), sugarcane development, regional development and animal husbandry.