Que : – Discuss the role of parliamentary committees. To what extent do you agree with the argument that the role of parliamentary committees is declining in the Indian parliamentary system?

• Parliamentary committees are a panel of members of parliament, appointed or elected by the House or nominated by the Speaker Chairman.
  
• These committees work under the direction of the Speaker/Chairman and submit their reports to the House or the Speaker. These committees play an important role in scrutinising bills, budgets and policies and ensuring accountability of the executive.

• Role of parliamentary committees :

1) Providing control over the government :

• Although the recommendations of these committees are not binding on the government, they create a public record of the deliberations that took place on their reports and force the government to reconsider its approach to the provisions under discussion.

• Since their meetings are secret, the discussions in the meetings of these committees are more inclusive, with less pressure on the MPs.

2) Providing legal expertise:

• Most MPs are not subject matter experts on the subjects being debated. Parliamentary committees provide expertise to MPs and give them time to think about various issues in detail.

3) Acting as a mini-parliament:

• These committees act as a mini-parliament, as they have MPs representing different parties.

4) Acting as an instrument of detailed scrutiny:

• When bills are sent to these committees, they are closely scrutinised and inputs are sought from various external stakeholders, including the public.

• Declining role of parliamentary committees

• Various issues are not being referred to parliamentary committees: According to data from PRS Legislative Research, the number of bills being referred to Departmental Related Standing Committees (DRSCs) has declined in recent years.

• Only 14 bills have been referred for further scrutiny so far during the 17th Lok Sabha.

Only 25% of bills were sent to the DRSC in the 16th Lok Sabha, compared to 60% in the 14th Lok Sabha and 71% in the 15th Lok Sabha.

• Important acts of Parliament (such as the Agriculture Bill and the abrogation of Article 370) were passed by the government using its majority rather than sending them to a committee.

• Low attendance of MPs: Lack of quorum required for meetings in many committees leads to delays in discussions. This weakens the spirit of these committees and reduces their effectiveness.

• Multiple ministries falling under the purview of a single committee: This makes it challenging for committee members to adequately scrutinise all bills and proposals.

• Short tenure: Due to the constitution of DRSCs for one year, the scrutiny process cannot be effective due to lack of continuity in them.

• Party politics: MPs often act on the basis of party politics rather than holding the executive to account.

• Parliamentarians are expected to pay attention to the constructive scrutiny system under parliamentary committees but as party politics becomes more dominant, the effectiveness of these committees is decreasing.

• Steps to strengthen parliamentary committees:

1. The Second Administrative Reforms Commission suggested that parliamentary committees should have more autonomy in setting their agenda and be provided with adequate resources and research support.

2. The National Review Commission on Constitutional Affairs (NCRWC) has also recommended strengthening parliamentary committees to ensure that its recommendations are followed up and implemented by the executive.

3. With greater representation of all parties in parliamentary committees, their proceedings should be made more accessible to the public through the use of technology.

                  Parliamentary committees are an important part of the parliamentary system, providing a forum for expertise and specialization, checks and balances and consensus building among MPs. But its powers need to be enhanced by addressing the challenges it faces, such as lack of independence, limited powers, limited participation, etc., so that it can truly contribute to the development of democracy.