Context:Recently, Rajya Sabha Chairman stated that fewer sittings of Parliament are compensated by the working of department-related standing committees (DRSCs).
Key highlights of Chairman’s speech:

• The decline in a number of settings: Sittings of Parliament is declining and now the number is down to 60-70 sittings per year, which was 100-150 sittings per year during the 1950s.Efficient
• DRSCs: During the current Budget Session, the committees have done work worth 30 sittings of Parliament.
• Eight Rajya Sabha committees held 20 meetings and discussed the budgetary demands of 18 ministries for 63 hours.
• Improvement in attendance: Four of these eight committees have reported attendance of more than 50%. The highest attendance of 65.51% has been in the meetings of the Committee on Health and Family Welfare.

About DRSCs

• Departmentally-Related Standing Committees (DRSCs) was set up in the Parliament in 1993 after the recommendation of the Rules Committee of the Lok Sabha.

Objective: 

• To secure more accountability of the Executive to the Parliament particularly financial accountability.
• It also assists the Parliament in debating the budget more effectively.

Composition :

• Each standing committee consists of 31 members (21 from Lok Sabha and 10 from Rajya Sabha). 
• Nominated Members: The members of the Lok Sabha are nominated by the Speaker from amongst its own members, just as the members of the Rajya Sabha are nominated by the Chairman from amongst its members
• A minister is not eligible to be nominated as a member of any of the standing committees.
• In case a member is appointed a minister, after his nomination to any of the standing committees, he then ceases to be a member of the committee.

Term of Office: The term of office of each standing committee is one year from the date of its constitution.