List of Important Commissions and Committees in India
A commission is a group of people appointed by the government to carry out a specific task or objective. It can be long-term or specific to implement a short-term objective. Long-term commissions are called as permanent commissions.
Permanent Commissions in India
Here are a list of some permanent commissions in india as follows.
■ Election Commission
It is known that the Election Commission controls all elections in India. The Election Commission came into existence on January 25, 1950. Its secretariat is located in New Delhi. The Chief Election Commissioner is the head. Apart from him, there are two Election Commissioners. They are appointed by the President. The term of the Chief Election Commissioner and the Election Commissioners is six years. Each state has a separate Chief Electoral Officer. In addition, there are officers such as the District Election Officer, Electoral Registration Officer, and Returning Officer to control the conduct of elections in each district and constituency. The Central Election Commission supervises the elections of the President, Vice President, members of the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, and members of the state legislatures. The members of the Election Commission have a position and salary equivalent to that of a Supreme Court judge.
■ Human Rights Commission
The National Human Rights Commission was established on 12 October 1993 under the National Human Rights Act of 28 September 1993. The National Human Rights Commission is a statutory body. The Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission is a former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. The Chairman is appointed by the President of India. In addition to the Chairman, the National Human Rights Commission has four permanent members. In addition, the Chairpersons of the National Minorities Commission, the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes and the National Commission for Women are ex-officio members of the National Human Rights Commission. The Kerala State Human Rights Commission came into existence on 11 December 1998. Justice A.M. Paritupillai was the first Chairman. There is a provision that the Chairman of the State Human Rights Commission should be a former Chief Justice of the High Court. The Chairman is appointed by the Governor.
■ Finance Commission
Under Article 280 of the Constitution, the President is required to appoint a new Finance Commission every five years. The Commission consists of a Chairman and four members. The Parliament determines their qualifications and the method of selection. Arvind Panagariya is the Chairman of the 16th Finance Commission. The 16th Finance Commission was constituted in 2023 to make recommendations for the five-year period from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2031. The State Finance Commission functions at the state level. It is a constitutional body. The State Finance Commission was formed under the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, which came into effect in 1992.
■ Information Commission
The Central Information Commission was established on 12 October 2005. It was given statutory status under the Right to Information Act, 2005. The Central Information Commission consists of the Chief Information Commissioner and not more than ten Information Commissioners. The President appoints the Chief Information Commissioner and the Commissioners, who are selected by a three-member committee consisting of the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and a Cabinet Minister. Its headquarters are at CIC Bhavan, New Delhi. The Kerala State Information Commission was established on 19 December 2005. The State Information Commission consists of the Chief Information Commissioner of the State and not more than ten Information Commissioners.
■ Other Backward Classes Commission
The National Commission for Backward Classes was formed in 1993 following the Mandal judgment of the Supreme Court (1992). The National Commission for Backward Classes was a statutory body. It was given constitutional status by the 102nd Constitutional Amendment in 2018. It is responsible for examining and advising the government on the inclusion and exclusion of communities in the OBC (Other Backward Classes) list. The government is legally bound to implement the advice of the Commission. It has a Chairperson, Vice Chairperson and three members. Its headquarters is in New Delhi.
■ Central Vigilance Commission
The Central Vigilance Commission was formed in February 1964. The Central Vigilance Commission was formed on the recommendation of the Santhanam Committee. In 2003, the Central Vigilance Commission Act came into force after the Central Vigilance Commission Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Accordingly, it was given statutory status. Under the Whistleblowers Act, a complaint can be filed with the Central or State Vigilance Commission alleging corruption by officials. The Central Vigilance Commission consists of a Chairperson (Central Vigilance Commissioner) and two members (Vigilance Commissioners). The term of office of a member is four years or 65 years of age, whichever comes first. The Central Vigilance Commissioner and the Commissioners are appointed by the President, who is selected by a three-member committee consisting of the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, and the Home Minister. The headquarters is in New Delhi. In the state of Kerala, the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau handles corruption-related cases.
■ National Commission for Minorities
The Minorities Commission was formed in January 1978. It was given statutory status under the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992. It was renamed as the National Commission for Minorities. The first Commission under this Act began functioning on 17 May 1993. The following religious groups are recognized as minorities: Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain and Zoroastrian (Parsi). The Act was amended in 1995. The Commission consists of a Chairperson, a Vice Chairperson and five members. Its headquarters is at Lok Nayak Bhavan, New Delhi.
■ National Commission for Women
It came into existence on 31 January 1992 under the National Commission for Women Act, 1990. The National Commission for Women is a statutory body. The objectives of the Commission are to ensure constitutional and legal protection of women, review existing laws and suggest amendments, and ensure speedy redressal of women's grievances. The Commission consists of a Chairperson and five members. The term of office of a member is three years or 65 years of age, whichever is earlier. The first Chairperson was Jayanti Patnaik. Its headquarters is in New Delhi.
■ Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)
Under Article 315 of the Constitution, the Union and the States may constitute Public Service Commissions. The number of members of the Commission shall be determined by the President in the case of the Union Public Service Commission and by the Governor in the case of the State Commissions. They shall be appointed by the President and the Governor respectively. The Constitution does not prescribe any specific qualifications for them, except that half of the members of the Commission shall have held some office under the Central/State Government for a period of at least 10 years (Article 316). The term of office of a member shall be six years or 65 years (UPSC) or six years or 62 years (PSC), whichever is earlier. After retirement, the Chairman of the UPSC shall not hold any office under the Central and State Governments. The Commissions shall submit a report of their activities to the President/Governor every year.
■ National Commission For Scheduled Caste (SC)
The National Joint Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes was established on 12 March 1992 under the 65th Constitutional Amendment Act of 1990. Shri Ramdhan was the first Chairperson of the Commission. Until the 89th Constitutional Amendment Act of 2003, there was a single common commission for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The 89th Constitutional Amendment Act of 2003 splited the Joint Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and provided for the formation of separate commissions for the Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes. In 2004, the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes came into existence. Both are constitutional bodies. They have five members including the Chairman. Their headquarters are in New Delhi.
■ National Commission For Scheduled Tribes
The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes came into existence in 2004. The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes is a constitutional body. It has five members including the Chairman. Its headquarters is in New Delhi.
■ National Commission for Protection of Child Rights
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights was established in 2007 under the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights Act, 2005, passed by the Indian Parliament in 2005. It was formed in line with the provisions of the Constitution for the protection of child rights and the UN Declaration on the Rights of the Child. According to this Act, the age limit of a child is up to 18 years. The Commission began its work on 5 March 2007. The objective of the Commission is to ensure the effective implementation of child rights and the proper implementation of laws and programmes for children. It has six members including the Chairman. Its headquarters is in New Delhi.
■ Law Commission of India
The main task of the Law Commission is the revision of laws. It is formed to reform the law for promoting justice in society. The first Law Commission of independent India was formed in 1955 with M.C. Setalvad as its chairman.
■ National Commission on Farmers
The National Commission for Farmers is an Indian commission formed on 18 November 2004 under the chairmanship of Prof. M.S. Swaminathan to address the nationwide tragedy of farmer suicides in India. The National Commission for Farmers consists of a chairman, members and a member secretary. The National Commission for Farmers, chaired by M.S. Swaminathan, submitted five reports during the period from December 2004 to October 2006.
■ Atomic Energy Commission
The Atomic Energy Commission is working under the Indian Department of Atomic Energy. The Indian Atomic Energy Commission was established on 3 August 1948 under the Department of Scientific Research. Homi.J. Bhabha was the first Chairman. Bhatnagar was the first Secretary. In 1954, the Department of Atomic Energy came into existence under the Central Government. India's progress in the field of atomic energy was very rapid under Atomic Energy Commission. Currently, it is working under the direct control of the Prime Minister of India. The Atomic Energy Commission consists of a Chairman, Members and a Member Secretary. Its headquarters is in Mumbai.
■ Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP)
It was established in 1965. It was formed to give meaningful real income levels to farmers, and to help farmers adopt new technology for increased productivity.
■ National Commission on Cattle
It was established in 2002. It was formed to recommend ways to improve cattle condition in India.
■ Competition Commission of India (CCI)
It was established in 2003. It was formed to enforce ‘The Competition Act, 2002’ all over India.
■ Telecom Commission
It was established in 1989. It was formed to deal with various aspects of telecommunications
It was established in 2005. It was formed to reduce the problems faced by statistical agencies about the collection of data.
■ Chief Labour Commissioner
It was established in 1945. It was formed to enforce labour laws and other labour-related issues.
■ University Grants Commission (UGC)
It was established in 1956. It was formed to provide recognition to universities in India, disburse funds and maintain standards in university education.
■ National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganized Sector
It was established in 2004. It was formed to address the issues faced by enterprises in the unorganized sector
■ National Forest Commission
It was established in 2003. It was formed to review and assess the existing forest policy.
■ Central Water Commission (CWC)
It was established in 1945. It was formed to manage schemes for control, conservation, and utilization of water resources throughout the country.
■ Commission for Additional Sources of Energy
It was established in 1981. It was formed to formulate and implement policies and programmes for the development of new and renewable energy, and also conduct R&D in this area.
■ National Flood Commission (Rashtriya Barh Ayog)
It was established in 1976. It was formed to evolve a coordinated, integrated, and scientific approach to the flood control problems in the country.
■ Indo-Bangladesh Joint Rivers Commission (JRC)
It was established in 1972. It was formed to maintain liaison to ensure the most effective joint effort in maximizing the benefits from common river systems between India and Bangladesh.
■ Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC)
It was established in 1956. It was formed to plan, promote, organize, facilitate and assist in the establishment and development of khadi and village industries in rural areas.
■ Staff Selection Commission (SSC)
It was established in 1975. It was formed to recruit staff for various posts in the Ministries and Departments of the Union Government.
■ Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC)
It was established in 1966. It was formed to give recommendations regarding the public administration system of India.
Ad-Hoc Commissions and Other Committees in India
Those commissions implemented to carry out a specific task are called ad-hoc commissions or Short term commissions. Here are a list of some short - term commissions and committees in india.
Commissions and Committees in India under the British rule
■ Charles Wood Despatch (1854)
■ Hunter Commission (1882)
■ Sadler Commission (1917)
■ Sapru Commission (1935)
Commissions and Committees in India after Independence
■ Dhar Committee (1948)
■ Fazl Ali Commission (1953)
■ Kalelkar Commission (1953)
■ States Reorganisation Commission (1953)
■ Balwant Rai Mehta Committee (1956)
■ Mukherjee Commission 1959
■ Santhanam Committee (1963)
■ Kothari Commission (1964)
■ Sadiq Ali Commission (1964)
■ Kapur Commission (1966)
■ Khosla Commission (1970)
■ G.L Vyas Committee (1974)
■ Swaran Singh Committee (1976)
■ Shah Commission (1977)
■ Ashok Mehta Committee (1977)
■ Mandal Commission (1979)
■ R.S.Sarkaria Commission (1983)
■ Hanumantha Rao Committee (1983)
■ Thakkar Commission (1984)
■ G.V.K Rao Committee (1985)
■ L.M Singhvi Committee (1986)
■ P.K.Thungan Committee (1988)
■ Gadgil Committee (1988)
■ Dinesh Goswami Committee (1990)
■ Ram Niwas Mirdha Committee (1992)
■ Liberhan Commission (1992)
■ Vohra Committee (1993)
■ Justice Ram Nandan Prasad Committee (1993)
■ Sen Committee (1996)
■ Saikia Committee (1997)
■ Indrajit Gupta Committee (1998)
■ National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution (2000)
■ Constitutional Review Committee (2000)
■ KK Narendran Commission (2000)
■ Nanavati Commission (2000)
■ Nanavati-Shah Commission (2002)
■ U.C. Banerjee Commission (2002)
■ Phukan Commission (2003)
■ Commission for Religious and Linguistic Minorities (Ranganath Misra Commission) (2004)
■ Upendra Commission (2004)
■ M.M. Punchhi Commission or Centre-State Ties (2007)
■ Justice Verma Committee (2012)
■ Sam Pitroda Committee (2013)
■ High Powered Committee (2013)
■ Justice Mukul Mudgal Committee (2013)
■ JS Mathur Committee (2013)
■ SK Srivastava Committee (2013)
■ Sivaramakrishnan Committee (2014)
■ Independent High Level Committee (2014)
■ Bajpai Committee (2014)
■ Vishwanathan Committee (2014)
■ Ramanujan Committee (2014)
■ Suresh Prabhu Committee (2014)
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