Committees and commissions are among the most powerful enrichment tools in UPSC answers, but they must be cited accurately. A wrong year or misattributed recommendation signals poor preparation to the examiner.

The correct citation format: Committee name + year of constitution or report + specific verified recommendation relevant to the question.

Verified examples by topic area:

Centre-State Relations and Federalism:

• Sarkaria Commission (constituted 1983, report 1988, 247 recommendations): recommended that Article 356 be invoked only as a last resort, proposed a permanent Inter-State Council, and emphasised restraint in the appointment and role of Governors.
• Punchhi Commission (constituted April 2007, report submitted 30 March 2010, 273 recommendations; chaired by former Chief Justice Madan Mohan Punchhi): recommended localised emergency rather than state-wide President's Rule, and greater flexibility for states on Concurrent List subjects.

Administrative Reforms:

• First ARC (1966-1970): examined administrative machinery at Centre and state level.
• Second ARC (constituted 31 August 2005, completed May 2009, chaired by Veerappa Moily): submitted 15 thematic reports covering RTI, e-governance, ethics in governance, and crisis management. Its recommendations influenced the Lokpal Act and RTI implementation.

National Security and Defence:

• Kargil Review Committee (constituted 29 July 1999, report submitted 7 January 2000, chaired by K. Subrahmanyam): recommended strengthening the NSC, improving intelligence sharing, and creating the post of Chief of Defence Staff (eventually implemented in December 2019).
• Naresh Chandra Task Force (appointed mid-June 2011, report submitted 23 May 2012): recommended a Permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, creation of tri-service Aerospace, Cyber, and Special Operations Commands, and a National Intelligence Board.

What to avoid: Do not write vague phrases like 'various committees have recommended.' Name the committee, give the year, and cite one concrete recommendation you can verify. If you cannot recall the specific recommendation, omit it rather than invent it.