Consider the following statements 1. Ministry of Parliamentary Affaris constitutes Consultative Committees of Members of both the Houses of Parliament. 2. The main purpose of these Committees are to provide a forum for formal discussions between the Government and Members of Parliament on polices and programmes of the Government. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

Statement 1 is correct as Consultative Committees are indeed constituted by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs [2]. These committees are attached to various ministries and departments of the Central Government and consist of members drawn from both Houses of Parliament [1]. However, Statement 2 is incorrect because the primary purpose of these committees is to provide a forum for informal discussions, rather than formal ones, between the Government and Members of Parliament regarding policies and programmes [2]. Unlike regular Parliamentary Committees, which are appointed by the House or Speaker and work under their direction, Consultative Committees are not strictly parliamentary committees as they do not fulfill specific procedural conditions like having a secretariat provided by the Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha [4]. Therefore, while they facilitate dialogue on government implementation, the nature of this interaction is explicitly defined as informal.

Sources

1. [1] Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity. 7th ed., McGraw Hill. > Chapter 24: Parliamentary Committees > CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEES > p. 279
2. [2] Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 24: Parliamentary Committees > CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEES > p. 279
3. [3] Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity. 7th ed., McGraw Hill. > Chapter 24: Parliamentary Committees > MEANING > p. 270
4. [4] Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 24: Parliamentary Committees > MEANING > p. 270