Central idea: This article discusses the importance and functions of parliamentary committees in India.
Why in news?
- As little as 25% of the Bills introduced were referred to committees in the 16th Lok Sabha, as compared to 71% and 60% in the 15th and 14th Lok Sabha respectively.
- This represents a declining trend of national legislation being subjected to expert scrutiny.
What is a Parliamentary Committee?
- A committee appointed or elected by the House or nominated by the Speaker that works under the direction of the Speaker and presents its report to the House or the Speaker.
- Two kinds of committees: Standing Committees and Ad hoc Committees.
(1) Standing Committees
- Permanent and regular committees constituted from time to time in pursuance of the provisions of an Act of Parliament or Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha.
- The work of these Committees is of continuous nature.
- Examples include the Financial Committees and DRSCs.
(2) Ad hoc Committees
- Appointed for a specific purpose and cease to exist when they finish the task assigned to them and submit a report.
- The principal Ad hoc Committees are the Select and Joint Committees on Bills.
- Examples include the Railway Convention Committee and Joint Committee on Food Management in Parliament House Complex.
Why need Parliamentary Committee?
- Parliament scrutinizes legislative proposals (Bills) in two ways: discussion on the floor of the two Houses and referring the Bill to a parliamentary committee.
- Since Parliament meets for 70 to 80 days in a year, there is not enough time to discuss every Bill in detail on the floor of the House.
Role of the committee in the passage of a Bill
- The debate in the house is mostly political and does not go into the technical details of a legislative proposal.
- Referring a Bill to a parliamentary committee takes care of the legislative infirmity of debate on the floor of the House.
- However, referring Bills to parliamentary committees is not mandatory.
What is a Select Committee?
- India’s Parliament has multiple types of committees.
- Departmentally related Standing Committees focus on the working of different ministries.
- Each committee has 31 MPs, 21 from Lok Sabha and 10 from Rajya Sabha.
- The main purpose is to ensure the accountability of Government to Parliament through a more detailed consideration of measures in these committees.
When does a committee examine a Bill?
- Bills can reach a committee through a recommendation by the minister piloting the Bill or the presiding officer of the House.
What happens when a Bill goes to a Committee?
- The committee undertakes a detailed examination of the Bill, inviting comments and suggestions from experts, stakeholders and citizens.
- The government also appears before the committee to present its viewpoint.
- The committee’s report makes suggestions for strengthening the Bill.
- While the committee is deliberating on a Bill, there is a pause in its legislative journey.
- The Bill can only progress in Parliament after the committee has submitted its report.
What happens after the report?
- The report of the committee is of a recommendatory nature.
- The government can choose to accept or reject its recommendations.
- Select Committees and JPCs have an added advantage of including their version of the Bill in the report.
- The minister in charge of that particular Bill can move for the committee’s version of the Bill to be discussed and passed in the House.
Importance of these Committees
- Parliamentary committees analyze the impact that a specific piece of legislation may have on governance indicators.
- It recommends the government to take an ‘Action Taken’ report for the House to judge the progress made on the suggestions of the committee.
- Though committee reports aren’t binding on the government, it helps the legislature ensure oversight of the executive.
