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 ?

The correct answer is Option D, as all the given statements are incorrect.

• Statement 1 is incorrect: The Chairperson of the Committee on the Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes is appointed by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha from amongst the members of the Committee, not by the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
• Statement 2 is incorrect: The composition is inverted in the statement. The Committee consists of 30 members in total, out of which 20 are elected by the Lok Sabha and 10 are elected by the Rajya Sabha. They are elected according to the principle of proportional representation by means of a single transferable vote.
• Statement 3 is incorrect: A Minister is strictly ineligible for election to this Committee. There are no exceptions for any specific minister, including the Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment. If a sitting member is appointed as a Minister, they immediately cease to be a member of the Committee.
• Statement 4 is incorrect: The members of the Committee are elected every year, and their term of office is strictly one year, not two years.

Takeaway: For major Joint Parliamentary Committees like the Public Accounts Committee, Committee on Public Undertakings, and the Committee on the Welfare of SCs & STs, remember the standard rules: a strict one-year term, the absolute exclusion of Ministers, and a 2:1 ratio of Lok Sabha to Rajya Sabha members.