Who nominates the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee of Indian Parliament ?

The correct answer is A) The Speaker of Lok Sabha. The PAC has 22 members, 15 elected from Lok Sabha and 7 from Rajya Sabha, and the Speaker nominates its Chairman from among these members. By convention, since 1967 the Chairman has come from the opposition, which keeps the committee's scrutiny of the government credible.

Why the others are wrong:

• B) Prime Minister: The PAC examines executive spending, so the executive has no role in choosing its office-bearers.
• C) President: The President receives the CAG reports under Article 151 and places them before Parliament, but does not appoint committee chairs.
• D) Chairman of Rajya Sabha: Rajya Sabha members sit on the PAC, but the Chairman of Rajya Sabha has no role in nominating its chair.

Core concept: parliamentary financial control. The CAG audits, the PAC examines the audit report, and the chain links Articles 148 to 151. For Mains GS-III and GS-II, this is the standard example of how Parliament holds the executive accountable for public money.

Trap: Students confuse the PAC with the Estimates Committee or assume that a Rajya Sabha member's presence on the committee means the Rajya Sabha Chairman appoints it.