Introduction
Parliamentary committees are the engine rooms of India’s parliamentary democracy, enabling detailed and expert-driven scrutiny of legislative proposals, government finances, and public policies. Operating in smaller, specialized groups, these committees equip Members of Parliament (MPs) to study complex issues in greater depth, move beyond partisan politics, and ensure the executive is held accountable—thereby strengthening transparency and governance.
Historical Context & Origin
The origins of India’s parliamentary committees trace back to the Government of India Act 1919, which laid down the principles of legislative oversight by instituting the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in 1921 in British India. This step marked a milestone in embedding financial scrutiny into the legislative process.
After independence, recognized finance experts like John Mathai (India’s first post-independence Railway Minister) and C.D. Deshmukh (first Indian Governor of RBI and Finance Minister) strongly advocated for robust financial checks on government expenditure. Responding to such recommendations, India established the Estimates Committee and reconstituted the PAC in 1950, and set up the Committee on Public Undertakings (COPU) in 1964 to monitor public sector units. In 1993, the system was modernized through the introduction of Departmentally Related Standing Committees (DRSCs) to deepen subject-wise scrutiny.
Purpose of Parliamentary Committees
Detailed Scrutiny of Legislation: Committees examine bills and policies clause-by-clause, such as the Joint Committee on Personal Data Protection Bill (2019) which explored privacy and technological dimensions.
Fiscal Oversight: Financial committees like PAC and COPU routinely review large government expenditure—e.g., the PAC scrutinized the ₹7,200 crore Ayushman Bharat Health Mission (2024).
Continuous Executive Accountability: Committees like the Committee on Government Assurances track real-time execution of promises, for instance, reviewing COVID-19 relief steps in 2021.
Reducing Plenary Overload: By previewing over 80% of bills and annual budgets, committees prevent legislative backlog.
Non-Partisan Policy Deliberation: Committees facilitate consensus, as seen when the DRSC on Defence recommended new procurement norms in 2023 with cross-party agreement.
Expert and Stakeholder Engagement: Committees consult domain specialists and receive public representations, such as the DRSC on Science & Technology’s hearings in 2024.
Transparency and Public Education: Over 85% of reports are now published online, fostering citizen engagement.
Addressing Social and Economic Issues: Committee on Social Justice & Empowerment reviewed EWS quota policy implementation in 2023.
Monitoring Implementation: Ensuring enactment of Acts, for example, the Environment Committee’s monitoring of the Plastic Waste Rules (2023).
Real-Time Problem Solving: Committees can intervene in ongoing crises, such as flagging the oxygen shortage during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Types of Parliamentary Committees
A. Standing Committees (Permanent)
Financial Committees
Examples: Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Estimates Committee, Committee on Public Undertakings (COPU).
Membership:
PAC & COPU: 22 (15 from Lok Sabha, 7 from Rajya Sabha)
Estimates Committee: 30 (Lok Sabha only)
Selection: Members are elected by the respective Houses via proportional representation; chairs generally nominated by the Speaker (for Lok Sabha committees) or Chairman (for Rajya Sabha).
Function: Fiscal oversight and financial accountability.
Departmentally Related Standing Committees (DRSCs)
Number: 24 committees, each covering specific ministries or sectors.
Membership: 31 (21 Lok Sabha, 10 Rajya Sabha)
Election: Nominated by the respective presiding officers in proportion to party strength.
Examples: DRSCs on Finance, Defence, IT, Health, and more.
Inquiry and Ethics Committees
Examples: Committee on Petitions, Committee of Privileges, Ethics Committee.
Membership: Usually 15-22 members; nominated.
Purpose: Address complaints, privileges, and ethical issues of members.
Control and Scrutiny Committees
Examples: Committee on Government Assurances, Committee on Subordinate Legislation, Committee on Papers Laid on the Table.
Membership: Around 15 (Lok Sabha) or 10 (Rajya Sabha); nominated.
Purpose: Monitor government promises and legislative compliance.
Business Committees
Examples: Business Advisory Committee, Rules Committee.
Membership: Typically 15; nominated.
Purpose: Manage the agenda and procedural framework.
House-Keeping Committees
Examples: House Committee, General Purposes Committee.
Membership: 15; nominated.
Purpose: Address administrative and infrastructural needs of the Houses.
B. Ad Hoc Committees (Temporary)
Examples: Joint Parliamentary Committees (JPC), such as on the Stock Market Scam (2001), Select Committees on specific bills (e.g., Surrogacy Bill 2019).
Membership: Variable; nominated for a specific purpose.
Dissolved: Upon completion of their task.
Composition and Election of Members
Members may be elected through proportional representation by single transferable vote or nominated by presiding officers.
Political party representation in committees mirrors party strength in the house.
Chairperson appointments may be by Speaker (Lok Sabha) or Chairman (Rajya Sabha); PAC chair is traditionally from the opposition.
Member tenure is generally one year or until reconstitution.
Core Functions and Powers
Bill Scrutiny: Committees analyze bills, often leading to significant amendments; e.g., Select Committee on Surrogacy Bill (2019) changed eligibility norms.
Budget and Accounts Review: PAC’s evaluation of PM-Kisan Yojana disbursements in FY2024 spotlighted beneficiary targeting issues.
Summoning Powers: Committees can call ministers, officials, or experts for evidence (e.g., NDMA officials during COVID).
Examination of CAG Reports: COPU’s probe (2024) into National Highways spending led to restructuring of contracts.
Monitoring Policy Implementation: The Committee on Health’s review of COVID-19 vaccination policy affected national distribution strategies.
Policy Evaluation: DRSC on Environment initiated new strategies on plastic waste management.
Reporting: Over 85 detailed reports presented in Lok Sabha during the 2024 Budget session alone.
Making Recommendations for Reform: Frequent suggestions to improve administrative efficiency or amend legislation.
Public Engagement: Digital submission of suggestions on the Environment Bill saw 3,400+ citizen responses (2024).
Influence Over Executive: Departmental actions are often realigned based on committee recommendations, such as the 2023 rural health infrastructure reforms.
Strengths and Achievements
Oversight of Large Expenditure: Committees have compelled scrutiny and efficiency in major schemes—Ayushman Bharat, PM-Kisan.
Policy Innovation: DRSC on Finance was instrumental in GST reforms (adopted in FY2022 Budget).
Accountability and Transparency: PAC exposed FDI irregularities; COPU streamlined PSU functioning (2023).
Crisis Response: Initiatives like DRSC on Health’s fast-tracked review of COVID policies led to urgent oxygen import (2021).
Cross-party Consensus: Many committee reports—Defence Procurement, IT data privacy—adopted with bipartisan support (2022–2024).
Publically Accessible Reports: 90%+ reports are published promptly, thanks to Sansad’s digital platform.
Effective Stakeholder Participation: Consultation with NGOs on environment, disability, and consumer issues.
Prompt Redressal: Swift committee action has led to on-ground policy corrections.
Challenges and Criticism
Low Attendance: Committee meetings noted an average attendance of about 52% in 2024.
Limited Research Support: Ratio of research staff to committees remains low (1:3), impeding technical analysis.
Government Inaction: Only about half of recommendations are fully accepted/acted upon by ministries in the recent session.
Political Influence: Chairperson appointments are sometimes disputed or politicized (e.g., 2022 PAC controversy).
Jurisdiction Overlap: Similar schemes may be reviewed by multiple committees, reducing efficiency.
Delayed Reports: Some JPCs (e.g., Rafale deal) take years to submit findings, lowering impact.
Lack of Enforceability: Committee recommendations are advisory, not binding—seen in repeated neglect of telecom sector PAC directives.
Resource Constraints: Budget and staff limitations impede use of latest research or global best practices.
Reforms and Important Recommendations
Mandatory Referrals: National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution (2002) and others suggest all bills should mandatorily go to DRSCs.
Greater Specialization: Second ARC (2009) proposes more focused and single-subject standing committees.
Improved Research Capacity: PRS India (2024) urges increasing committee research staff to strengthen quality of analysis.
Public Consultation: Committees are encouraged to institutionalize digital public engagements, as piloted for the Environment Committee in 2024.
Faster Government Responses: Endorsement of timelines for Action Taken Reports (only 46% within 6 months in 2024); suggested improvement.
Parliamentarian Training: 15 capacity-building sessions were held for MPs in 2023–24 by the Legislative Research Wing.
Transparency: Launch of the public Sansad Committee Reports Portal in 2025 to increase accessibility.
Legal Empowerment: Ongoing debates on making some committee recommendations binding (UK/Australia model).
Other Important Dimensions
Supreme Court Judgments
Kalpana Mehta v. Union of India (2018): Held that committee reports have persuasive but non-binding value for judiciary.
Subhash Kashinath Mahajan v. State of Maharashtra (2018): Recognized standing committee reports as guides to legislative intent.
Rojer Mathew v. South Indian Bank Ltd. (2019): Relied on Rajya Sabha Select Committee’s report to interpret provisions of the Finance Act.
Indira Jaising v. Supreme Court of India (2017): Stressed importance of committee proceedings in constitutional review.
Common Cause v. Union of India (2017): Accepted key JPC findings as evidence in decision-making.
International Comparison
United Kingdom: Parliamentary committees have greater authority to summon ministers and mandatory government response; public hearings are routine.
United States: Congressional committees, such as the House Oversight Committee, exercise direct powers like subpoenas and government shutdown influence.
Australia: Parliamentary committees are known for digital real-time publication and live hearings.
Singapore: Select committees are issue-specific and sometimes bring in external domain experts.
Comparison: Indian committees have enhanced transparency via digital platforms, but still lack enforcement powers and routine public hearings found in many Western democracies.
Digital Innovation
Sansad’s e-Committee Portal (2025): Digitized access to over 85% of committee reports, searchable and public.
Rajya Sabha Committee Tracker App (2025): Real-time updates and archives, accessible by MPs and public.
Virtual Hearings: Piloted during COVID-19 and now regular for expert/stakeholder input.
Digital Public Submissions: 3,400+ responses received in two months by the Environment Committee (2024).
AI Analytics Tools: Introduced for select committees on Finance and IT, enhancing ability to analyze complex draft laws.
Social Media Outreach: Sansad TV and social media campaigns launched to highlight committee outcomes since 2025.
Way Forward
Strengthen Research Support: Increase committee research staff to two or more per committee (PRS 2024 recommendation) for robust analysis.
Mandate Bill Referral: Institutionalize compulsory review of all bills by DRSCs, preventing hasty passage (NCWC suggestion).
Enforce Timely Action Taken Reports: Set three-month government response deadline (current rate: only 46% within six months).
Boost Participation: Introduce attendance requirements/monitoring and MP incentives for active participation (tested by Parliamentary Affairs Ministry in 2024).
Expand Digital Public Engagement: Establish routine virtual hearings and digital feedback mechanisms for all committees.
Focus on Committee Specialization: DRSCs should be rationalized to minimize jurisdictional overlap, as recommended by ARC and PRS.
Increase Public Awareness: Launch annual achievements reports and committee outreach in schools/colleges and social media.
Move toward Legal Empowerment: Consider amending rules so certain critical committee recommendations require formal government response or implementation, taking cues from the UK/Australia.
Enhance Training: Scale up structured training for new and existing MPs on legislative process and committee functioning.
Conclusion
Parliamentary committees are the pillars of India’s legislative governance, ensuring accountability, transparency, and informed policymaking. They facilitate in-depth scrutiny, bipartisan cooperation, and timely policy correction, helping Parliament keep pace with the complexities of modern administration. However, with challenges ranging from low attendance and resource gaps to limited enforcement, the true potential of these committees is yet to be fully realized. Embracing reforms—in research capacity, digital innovation, specialization, public engagement, and legal empowerment—will further transform these committees into future-ready institutions, vital for India’s robust and responsive democracy.
UPSC Questions on Parliamentary Committees
Prelims (UPSC 2022):
Which of the following is/are Financial Committees of the Parliament?
Public Accounts Committee
Estimates Committee
Committee on Public Undertakings
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
a) 1 and 2 only
b) 2 and 3 only
c) 1 and 3 only
d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: d) 1, 2 and 3
Explanation: All three are officially recognized financial committees entrusted with fiscal scrutiny and oversight.
Mains
Q. Discuss the significance of parliamentary committees in strengthening legislative oversight in India. Illustrate their functioning, strengths, and challenges with recent examples.
Comments
Post a Comment