Parliamentary Committees: Guardians of Transparency and Trust in Governance 1300 Words

Parliamentary Committees: Guardians of Transparency and Trust in Governance 1300 Words

Parliamentary committees play the corner stone for democratic governance, providing a device by which in-depth scrutiny of an issue, policy analysis and oversight could be made to serve better the legislative institutions.  In fact, these are mini-parliaments working to provide a platform by which detailed deliberation impossible in the full house by reason of time and even complexity of issues. In this article, we will discuss the role, types, functions, and importance of parliamentary committees with special reference to the Indian context but keeping in view the other democracies as well.

What are Parliamentary Committees?

Parliamentary committees are a small group of Members of Parliament, which a House selects for the treatment of specific areas or issues. Their role is to provide specialized, informed, and detailed examination of legislative proposals, government policies, and administrative action. These are behind-the-scenes agents working to make sure the decisions of the legislature are properly informed, transparent, and accountable.

Committees were first introduced in the British parliamentary system, and Indians assimilated and modified them. Although most of the proceeding of the Parliament is much more media and politically charged in its nature, the committee proceeding is rather more collegiate and bipartisan. Therefore, this kind of committee becomes the integral part of the legislating process.

Types of Parliamentary Committees

Parliamentary committees can be broadly divided into two categories: Standing Committee and Ad Hoc Committees.

Standing Committees:-

These are permanent committees that are reconstituted periodically and work on an ongoing basis. They include:-

Financial Committees:-

 These focus on economic and financial oversight. Examples include:-

Public Accounts Committee (PAC):-

 Examines government accounts and ensures expenditures align with the Parliament’s decisions.

Estimates Committee:-

 Analyzes budget estimates to ensure efficient resource utilization.

Committee on Public Undertakings:-

 Reviews the functioning of public sector enterprises.

Departmentally Related Standing Committees (DRSCs):-

 24 such committees, departmentally related scrutinize the policies, budgets and bills of their respective domains.

Committees to Enforce Parliamentary Discipline: These include Committee on Privileges and the Committee on Ethics.

Ad Hoc Committees

Ad hoc committees are temporary and are constituted for a definite purpose and dissolved once the object is achieved. They include:

Select Committees:-

 Examine particular bills in detail.

Joint Parliamentary Committees (JPCs):-

 They deliberate on specific issues or scandals such as the notorious 2G spectrum case.

Inquiry Committees:-

 It deals with matters of public interest.

Roles of Parliamentary Committees

Parliamentary committees undertake a large number of functions which are also inherent in the legislative function:

Legislative Scrutiny:-

The committee will consider each and every bill placed before them by expert recommendation, stakeholder reaction, and comparative legislation. The law in such a case is effective and sound.

Control on Spending:-

Financial committees monitor government spending and spending out so as not to derail the fiscal responsibility of this arm.

Policy Appraisal:-Departmentally associated committees consider appraisals of government policies or, recommend changes or alternatives in consideration towards better effectiveness.

Administrative Review:-

These committees review the administration of departments and agencies, and its employees are very rigid on the norms in place

 Investigatory Function:-

Ad hoc committees investigate specific matters or scandals where anomalies are detected and avenues for redressal are provided.

Enable Public Participation:-

Committees, through their consultations and public hearings facilitate citizens and stakeholders to become involved in policy making

 Benefits of Parliamentary Committees

There are several benefits the parliamentary committees bring to legislative procedure:-

Specialization and Expertise:-

As much as the committees have areas of specialization, quality about legislative and policy analysis increases.

Proper Use of Time:-

Parliament is able to divide its workload; hence Parliament can go into detailed deliberations without overburdening the full house.

Bipartisan Approach:-

This builds on constructive dialogue and results in building consensus on cutting across party lines in committee deliberations.

Accountability:-

This way, the committees scrutinize the executive, making governance transparent and accountable.

Inclusiveness:-

Committees make the legislative process more participatory and representative by engaging experts, stakeholders, and the public.

Challenges Facing Parliamentary Committees

Despite their importance, parliamentary committees face several challenges that undermine their effectiveness:

Limited Time and Resources:-

They have to work under very tight deadlines and are resource-constrained, thus limiting the depth of analysis they can conduct.

Inattentive and Apathetic Membership:-

Most MPs rarely attend the committee meetings, thus deliberation quality is very low.

Politicized by Partisan Politics:-

For high-profile investigations, party politics often influences the decision of the committee.

Lack of Accountability and Transparency:-

While candour requires confidentiality, absolute confidentiality breeds mistrust and distance from the public.

Non-Recommendatory Recommendations:-

Committee reports are mostly advisory, and the government may not opt to take the same, so lessens its powers.

Parliamentary Committees in India: Important Features

Parliamentary committees are part of Indian legislature’s regular activity. India, with the influence from the British system, however customized as per the country’s need, has seen this institution for centuries as well. Some of its vital features are:

Composition:-

Composition is usually of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members and reflects the political composition of Parliament.

Chairperson:-

The chairperson is generally nominated by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha or the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. Sometimes even opposition MPs are nominated as chairpersons to ensure impartiality.

Work Culture:-

Committee debates are more amiable and less confrontational than the full house debates. Therefore, it becomes easier to have focused and constructive debates.

Budgetary Control:-

Financial committees such as the PAC and Estimates Committee play a very vital role in ensuring fiscal discipline, particularly in a complex and diversified economy like India’s.

Comparisons with Other Democracies

The parliamentary committees of India bear some similarity to other democracies but with certain distinguishing features:

United Kingdom:-

UK committee system much more ancient and sophisticated. In comparison, Select Committees in UK enjoy much more freedom and there is a strong history of exerting influence on government policies.

United States:-

US Congress committee system very highly institutionalized and highly powerful. It is normal for committees to have enough authority to make changes to or even block legislation-a feature that is not too common in India.

Australia:-

Australian parliamentary committees are extremely participative in public engagement; actually, they conduct lengthy consultations and hearings.

Current Changes and Reforms

Many reforms have been recommended to make Indian parliamentary committees more effective and efficient. Some of the suggested reforms are:

Strengthening Resources:-

Only quality committees would be formed when they are adequately supported with research staff and sound infrastructural amenities.

Periodical Presence:-

Compelling attendance with penal provisions is sure to increase the participation of members.

Binding Nature of Recommendations:-

More bindingness, it will strengthen, if committee reports are presented with more binding nature of the committees.

Better Trans-Parliamentarism:-

With greater publication of committee reports and procedures, public confidence and answerability will increase.

Capacity Building:-

Through periodic training programs for the MPs on how to operate with the committee, it would make them perform better.

Conclusion

The parliamentary committees are not too relevant for the process of democracy. They give an enlightened and neutral atmosphere so that the legislative output can be prolific. In India, committees have served a crucial role in policy formulation, checking governance, and creating better governance. The most important means to overcome such difficulties as low levels of attendance, limited resources, and weakened power of the influence for parliamentary committees to successfully fulfill their full potential. Such bodies, with acceptance of reforms along with fostering an effective bipartisan culture, are likely to continue acting as agents of democratizing forces and therefore making legislatures strong and responsive institutions.

Also Read:- The Rajya Sabha: An Important Pillar of Indian Parliamentary Democracy 1200 Words