{"id":119145,"date":"2026-08-14T11:23:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T05:53:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=119145"},"modified":"2026-08-14T11:23:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T05:53:14","slug":"fcra-bill-and-jpc-how-effective-are-parliamentary-committees-in-legislative-scrutiny","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/fcra-bill-and-jpc-how-effective-are-parliamentary-committees-in-legislative-scrutiny\/","title":{"rendered":"FCRA Bill and JPC: How Effective Are Parliamentary Committees in Legislative Scrutiny?"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>FCRA Bill and JPC Latest News<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Lok Sabha has referred the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/foreign-contribution-regulation-amendment-bill-2026\/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), amid strong objections over provisions including the retrospective vesting of foreign-funded assets in a government-designated authority.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This has renewed debate on how much difference parliamentary committees actually make when the ruling party holds a majority within them.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Purpose of Parliamentary Committees<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Parliamentary committees exist to address a basic limitation of Parliament: the two Houses have limited time to examine an increasingly complex body of legislation and policy.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Smaller committees can:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Spend considerably more time examining a Bill<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Question officials and hear experts\/stakeholders<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Scrutinise provisions clause by clause<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The committee system is not meant to replicate the political contest on the House floor.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As Rajya Sabha&#8217;s literature describes it, the underlying philosophy is:\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">influence, not direct control;\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">advise, not command;\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">criticism, not obstruction;\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">scrutiny, not initiative;\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">accountability, not prior approval.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Types of Parliamentary Committees<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Department-related Standing Committees<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Examine the functioning and policies of ministries on an ongoing basis.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Financial Committees<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Scrutinise government expenditure.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Select Committees<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Constituted by one House to examine a specific Bill.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">): Has members from both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, constituted for a specific Bill or issue.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Committees can call for persons, papers, and records, and take evidence \u2014 but their recommendations are not binding on the government.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>The Central Limitation: Ruling Party Majority<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">JPC membership broadly reflects the strength of parties in Parliament.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since the ruling party or alliance typically has a majority in the Lok Sabha, it also holds a majority in the JPC, and the chairperson is usually from the government benches.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Decisions are taken by <\/span><b>majority vote<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, with the <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">chairperson holding a casting vote in case of a tie<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, this does not render the Opposition powerless. Within a committee, the Opposition can:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Demand specific witnesses<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Question officials<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Put evidence on record<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Propose changes to the draft report<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">File a dissent note if it disagrees with the majority<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The real question, therefore, is <\/span><b>not whether Opposition MPs are heard, but whether they can actually change the law<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2014 and here, the record is far less encouraging.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Have JPCs Actually Changed Laws?<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yes \u2014 but by modification, not by overturning.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Stock Market Scam JPC (2001-02)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Under the then NDA government, produced detailed recommendations on regulatory surveillance and coordination between SEBI and stock exchanges. The government reported action on 236 recommendations.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Pesticide Residues JPC (2004):<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Confirmed unacceptable pesticide levels in soft drinks and recommended stringent safety standards, contributing to subsequent regulatory action.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Multi-State Co-operative Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2022<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: The JPC&#8217;s recommendations on the Cooperative Election Authority&#8217;s composition and functioning were largely incorporated into the final law.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill, 2021<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Retained the government&#8217;s broad approach but incorporated some safeguards and clarifications.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance (FRDI) Bill, 2017<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Following JPC scrutiny of controversial &#8220;bail-in&#8221; provisions and concerns over depositor protection, the government eventually withdrew the Bill altogether \u2014 though broader public and political opposition also contributed.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>When Opposition Dissent Didn&#8217;t Prevail<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Personal Data Protection Bill JPC<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Retained broad government exemptions despite Opposition objections on surveillance safeguards. The 2019 Bill was eventually withdrawn, and a new law was introduced in 2022 \u2014 though it too retained broad exemption powers for the government.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: The JPC retained the Bill&#8217;s central objective despite Opposition concerns on the religious criterion and implications for Assam and secularism. The 2019 Act broadly followed the original approach.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>2G JPC<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Broadly defended the government&#8217;s position on telecom allocation despite Opposition dissent notes. Its conclusions had limited influence \u2014 the legal and political trajectory was shaped more directly by CAG findings and the Supreme Court&#8217;s cancellation of licences.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This shows the partisan character of JPCs is not unique to any one government \u2014 when an issue is politically central to the ruling side, its majority tends to be decisive.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Has the Committee System Weakened Over Time?<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Data from PRS Legislative Research shows a sharp decline in the referral of Bills to parliamentary committees generally:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">14th (2004-09) ~60%<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">15th (2009-14) ~71%<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">16th (2014-19) ~25%<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">17th (2019-24) ~16%<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The emerging pattern: routine scrutiny has weakened, even as JPCs are increasingly reserved for particularly contentious legislation.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Why the FCRA Referral Matters<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The government had the numbers to push the FCRA Bill through the Lok Sabha directly.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Instead, following strong objections, it opted for a JPC \u2014 giving stakeholders a <\/span><b>formal forum<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to place concerns on record, while the government retains the discretion to decide which concerns it is willing to accommodate.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Conclusion<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">JPCs rarely overturn a government&#8217;s core legislative intent, but they consistently force explanation, modification, and public scrutiny \u2014 a meaningful check even within majoritarian limits.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The declining use of committee scrutiny overall makes the FCRA Bill&#8217;s JPC referral a notable, if modest, reaffirmation of deliberative process over numerical dominance.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Source:<\/b> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/explained-politics\/fcra-bill-joint-parliamentary-committees-jpc-role-efficacy-10831514\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">IE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>FCRA Bill and JPC raise questions about parliamentary scrutiny, opposition influence, committee effectiveness, and whether legislative recommendations can check majoritarian dominance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":119167,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[9541,60,22,59],"class_list":["post-119145","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","tag-fcra-bill-and-jpc","tag-mains-articles","tag-upsc-current-affairs","tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs-tag","no-featured-image-padding"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119145","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=119145"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119145\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":119161,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119145\/revisions\/119161"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/119167"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=119145"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=119145"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=119145"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}