Previous Year Question

The Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is appointed by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha. The Chairman is selected from among the Lok Sabha members elected to the Committee. The PAC presently consists of not more than 22 members—15 from the Lok Sabha and 7 from the Rajya Sabha—and is constituted every year.

After the Constitution came into force in 1950, the PAC became a Parliamentary Committee functioning under the control of the Speaker. Since 1967, the convention has been to appoint a member of the Opposition as its Chairman, although this is a parliamentary convention rather than a constitutional requirement.

The PAC principally undertakes post-expenditure scrutiny. It examines the Appropriation Accounts, Finance Accounts and relevant CAG reports, and checks whether money authorised by Parliament was spent for the approved purpose and within the sanctioned limits.

The targeted distinction is—

PAC members → elected by the two Houses
PAC Chairman → appointed by the Lok Sabha Speaker