Parliamentary Committees

An integral component of Indian administration is the parliamentary committees. They aid the legislature in carrying out its mandate. They share the legislature's burden and are responsible for oversight, control, and vigilance. Additionally, India's parliamentary committees provide a deeper understanding of the topics under debate. Additionally, they offer in-depth examination and analysis. Parliamentary standing and ad hoc committees are the two categories of parliamentary committees. The Indian Constitution's Article 118 addresses any topic about these committees.

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This Story also Contains

1. What are Parliamentary Committees?
2. Need for a Parliamentary Committee;
3. Evolution of Committees:
4. Types of Parliamentary Committees
5. What is the Role of Parliamentary Committees?
6. How has the Parliamentary Committees' Role Recently Declined?
7. Way Forward
8. Conclusion

What are Parliamentary Committees?

• A Parliamentary Committee is made up of some MPs chosen by the Speaker/Chairman, appointed by the House, or elected by the House.

• The Speaker or Chairperson presides over the committee's operations, and the committee reports to either the Speaker or the Chairperson.

• The British Parliament is the original home of parliamentary committees.

• They rely on Articles 105 and 118 for their authority.

• MP privileges are covered under Article 105.

• Article 118 grants the Parliament the power to enact laws governing its operations and economic dealings.

Need for a Parliamentary Committee;

• To start legislative action, a bill is introduced in either house of parliament; however, because lawmaking is a complicated process, there is little time for in-depth debates in Parliament.

• Furthermore, the division of politics and the disappearance of the middle ground have resulted in increasingly bitter and vacuous discussions in Parliament.

• As a result of these problems, a significant portion of legislative work ultimately happens in the Parliamentary Committees.

Evolution of Committees:

• The official committee structure was created in 1993, despite the fact that distinct committees had been formed ever since independence.

• For instance, five of the several significant committees of the Constituent Assembly include

• The Ad Hoc Committee on the Citizenship Clause was created to investigate the nature and scope of Indian citizenship.

• The Northeast Frontier (Assam) Tribal and Excluded Areas Sub-Committee and the Excluded and Partially Excluded Areas (Other than Assam) Sub-Committee were two significant committees during independence.

• The Expert Committee on Financial Provisions of the Union Constitution and the Advisory Committee on the Subject of Political Safeguards for Minorities were founded to offer recommendations on taxation and the removal of reservations for religious minorities, respectively.

Types of Parliamentary Committees

The Indian Parliament comprises several kinds of committees. They can be distinguished based on their membership, contributions, and tenure duration. However, standing and ad hoc committees are the two main categories of parliamentary committees.

Standing Committees;

A standing committee in the Indian Parliament is made up of MPs, or members of parliament. It is a regular, permanent committee that is occasionally formed under parliamentary acts or the Rules of Procedure and Business Conduct. Open-ended standing committees were typically formed to handle specific procedural issues, such as appointing new members.

The Standing Committees operate constantly and are permanent, being created annually or regularly. It fits into the following six categories:

1. Financial Committees

2. Departmental Standing Committees

3. Committees to Enquire

4. Committees to Scrutinise and Control

5. Committees Relating to the Day-to-Day Business of the House

6. House-keeping committees or service committees

Ad Hoc Committees;

An ad hoc committee, often referred to as a select committee, is a short-term team assembled to carry out a particular function or address an issue. Ad hoc simply means "as needed." Ad hoc committees provide a variety of functions, such as the following, among others: Resolve issues.

Ad hoc Committees are constituted with a specific objective in mind, and they expire upon completion of their mandate and submission of a report. They are separated even further into advisory committees and inquiry committees. The Select and Joint Committees on Bills are the main Ad Hoc Committees.

What is the Role of Parliamentary Committees?

1. Provides Legislative Expertise: The majority of MPs lack expertise on the subjects under discussion. Committees within parliament are designed to assist members in obtaining knowledge and to provide them with time to consider matters in depth.

2. Acting as a Mini-Parliament; These committees operate as a mini parliament since members are chosen by a single transferable vote system in a percentage roughly equal to their power in the legislature.

3. The instrument for Detailed Scrutiny: Legislation that is sent to these committees is carefully examined, and public and other external stakeholders' input is solicited.

4. Provides a Check on the Government: Even while the committee's recommendations are not legally binding, they serve as a public record of the consultations that took place and put pressure on the government to reconsider its stance on problematic portions. Because committee meetings are private and hidden from the public eye, committee discussions tend to be more cooperative, and members of parliament are not under as much pressure to seem well to the media.

How has the Parliamentary Committees' Role Recently Declined?

• Just fourteen bills have been referred for further review thus far in the 17th Lok Sabha.

• PRS figures show that in the 15th and 14th Lok Sabhas, 71% and 60%, respectively, of the Bills presented were referred to committees, compared to barely 25% in the 16th Lok Sabha.

Way Forward

• Increase legislative committees' resources, authority, and capacity to hold the executive branch responsible.

• Promote more engagement from experts, stakeholders, and civil society in committee meetings to guarantee a range of viewpoints and well-informed decisions.

• Make sure that committee meetings are open and accountable by recording and live broadcasting them, as well as by making the recommendations and reports accessible to the general public.

• Cultivate a bipartisan consensus-building culture within committees to ensure that the interests of all stakeholders are reflected and to develop a more effective and efficient legislative process.

Conclusion

The conversations above teach us about India's legislative committees. The committees in parliament are an essential component of government. The effort put into influencing governmental policies. They serve as a conduit between the populace and the government. Furthermore, it establishes the executive's accountability to the legislative. The information above informs us that there are two different kinds of parliamentary committees: ad hoc committees and standing committees. Additionally, these committees are divided into other categories. Thus, be aware of these sections and the topics that the Standing and Ad Hoc Committees are covering. It aids in your comprehension of India's legislative committees.