From performance of Jal Jeevan mission to policy on OBCs, Parliamentary panels get down to work

New Delhi, Sep 8 (PTI) Weeks after being constituted, key parliamentary committees have started meeting over issues, including reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in public sector undertakings and audit of Jal Jeevan Mission.

Panels, including the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Committee on Welfare of Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), and the one on welfare of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) are meeting this week to take up subjects decided by them.

Officials of the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) will brief members of the committee on the welfare of OBCs on Monday on the “formulation and implementation” of reservation policy for the community in the posts and services under the Central government and union territories.

On Tuesday, the PAC will take up the performance audit of the National Rural Drinking Water Programme (Jal Jeevan Mission) under the Jal Shakti Ministry.

On Thursday, the Committee on Welfare of SCs and STs will take up the issue of the status of reservation of these communities in central public sector undertakings (CPSUs), including the implementation of corporate social responsibility policy for the SC and ST communities.

The committees have a tenure of one year and have members from both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. They are elected by the two Houses.

The PAC is usually headed by a senior Lok Sabha member of the principal opposition party.

Committees in the 18th Lok Sabha took shape mostly by consensus as against elections witnessed during the previous Lok Sabha.