Parliamentary Committees are panels of Members of Parliament formed to scrutinise the functioning of the government and to uphold executive accountability.
- Two types:
- Standing Committees (Permanent and Regular): Includes Financial Committees and 24 Departmentally Related Standing Committees (DRSCs).
- Ad hoc Committees (Constituted for specific purpose and cease to exist on finishing their task): Includes Select and Joint Committees on Bills.
Role of Parliamentary Committees
- Continuous legislative oversight: Act as a vigilant mechanism to monitor executive actions beyond the limited time of Parliament sessions.
- Detailed scrutiny of policies and laws: Enable clause-by-clause examination of bills, ensuring informed decision-making and reducing executive arbitrariness.
- Performance evaluation of government bodies: Committees such as the Committee on Public Undertakings assess efficiency and functioning of PSUs.
Issues with Parliamentary Committees
- Non-binding recommendations: Committee reports are advisory in nature.
- Short tenure and frequent reconstitution: Most committees like DRSCs, have a tenure of only one year.
- Delay in constitution of committees: Disrupt their functioning and reduce efficiency.
- Bypassing of committees: Important laws (e.g., abrogation of Article 370, Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Bill, 2023) were passed without committee examination.
- Low attendance and absenteeism: Reduces effectiveness and depth of discussions.
- Others: Absence of expert advisers (Venkatachaliah Commission).
