Public Accounts Committee : Review The Existing Rules On National Highways
The Public Accounts Committee of Parliament recently directed the government to review the existing rules that decide the toll tax on National Highways.
- Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is a committee of selected members of parliament, constituted by the Parliament of India, for the purpose of auditing the revenue and expenditure of the Government of India.
- It serves as a check on the government, especially with respect to its expenditure bill, and its primary function is to examine the audit report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) after it is laid in Parliament.
- C&AG assists the committee during the course of the investigation.
- The main function of the committee is to ascertain whether the money granted by parliament has been spent by the government within the scope of the demand.
- It is one of the oldest Parliamentary Committees in India.
- From its inception in the year 1921 till early 1950, the Finance Member was appointed as the Chairperson of the Committee, and its secretarial functions were looked after by the Finance Department (later Ministry of Finance).
- PAC consists of not more than twenty-two members, fifteen elected by Lok Sabha, and not more than seven members of Rajya Sabha.
- The functions of the Committee include examination of accounts showing the appropriation of sums granted by Parliament for the expenditure of the Government of India, the annual finance accounts of the Government, and such other accounts laid before the House as the Committee may think fit.
