{"id":61298,"date":"2025-08-30T13:04:49","date_gmt":"2025-08-30T07:34:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=61298"},"modified":"2025-09-01T13:09:11","modified_gmt":"2025-09-01T07:39:11","slug":"parliamentary-committees-in-india-silent-pillars-of-democracy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/parliamentary-committees-in-india-silent-pillars-of-democracy\/","title":{"rendered":"Parliamentary Committees in India &#8211; Silent Pillars of Democracy"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Parliament Committees in India <\/b><b style=\"font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit;\">Latest News<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, recently addressed the National Conference of Chairpersons of Parliamentary and Legislature Committees on Welfare of SCs and STs.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He highlighted the increasing importance of parliamentary committees in India in ensuring accountability.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He also highlighted the <\/span><b>declining quality of dialogue, decorum, and discussion in legislatures.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Historical Evolution and Structure of Parliament Committees in India<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Historical evolution<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Even though a structured committee system was only established in <\/span><b>1993<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, individual committees were being formed for various reasons as far back as independence. <\/span><b>For instance<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the Ad Hoc Committee on the Citizenship Clause.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Structure<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Standing committees<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Permanent, subject-specific (finance, defence, etc.).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Ad Hoc committees<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Temporary, for specific purposes.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Joint committees<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Drawn from both Houses for common issues.<\/span><b> For example<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the JPC to evaluate the feasibility of implementing the \u2018<\/span><b>One Nation, One Election<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2019 initiative.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Specialised committees<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: e.g., Business Advisory Committee, Committee on Papers Laid on the Table.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Need for Parliament Committees<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Volume of work<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: The Parliament cannot deliberate on all issues on the floor due to time and procedural constraints.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Beyond legislation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Committees handle sector-specific concerns, welfare oversight, financial scrutiny, and executive accountability.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Behind-the-scenes contribution<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Every Bill, debate, and parliamentary procedure is supported by committee work, often invisible to the public eye.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Role of Parliament and Legislature Committees\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Accountability and transparency<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Committees scrutinize government functioning, schemes, and expenditure.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Bipartisan nature and consensus building<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Panels function above party lines, making them crucial for effective governance.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Oversight on spending<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Demand for Grants reports highlight expenditure gaps (e.g., Panchayati Raj Ministry\u2019s under-utilisation of funds in 2022-23).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Impactful interventions<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Empowered to recommend improvements in implementation of schemes for SCs and STs, ensure budget allocations reach intended beneficiaries.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Significant Contributions of Parliament Committees in India<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Digital Data Protection Bill:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> From Justice Srikrishna Committee (2017) \u2192 Joint Parliamentary Committee (2021) \u2192 Draft Digital Personal Data Protection Bill (2022).<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Major legislations referred:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Anti-Maritime Piracy Bill.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jan Vishwas Bill.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wildlife Protection (Amendment) Bill.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Competition (Amendment) Bill, Electricity Bill, Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Public Accounts Committee (2015)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Flagged inefficiencies in defence shipyards \u2014 cost overruns, delays, inadequate practices.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Concerns Raised About Parliament and Legislature Committees<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Decline in deliberation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Reduced debates and disruptions in both Lok Sabha and state assemblies.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>For example,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> only 60% bills referred to these committees in the 14th Lok Sabha, 15th Lok Sabha (71%), 16th Lok Sabha (25%), and 17th Lok Sabha (16%), highlighting their <\/span><b>declining role in legislative\/ expert scrutiny<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Language and conduct<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Falling standards of parliamentary behaviour. <\/span><b>Example<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: recent Monsoon Session of Parliament marred by daily disruptions over electoral roll revision in Bihar.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Political polarisation:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Committees could lose their influence.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Lack of binding power: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recommendations often ignored.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>The Road Ahead<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Compulsory referral of Bills:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> As in the U.S., every Bill should be scrutinised by relevant committees before passing.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Strengthening powers:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> To avoid becoming \u201ctoothless tigers,\u201d committees need more authority to enforce accountability.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Institutionalisation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Formalise processes to prevent political expediency from bypassing scrutiny.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Preserve consensus mechanism<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Committees must remain bipartisan spaces of constructive deliberation.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Conclusion<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Strengthening the committee system is essential to <\/span><b>revive deliberative democracy in India<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, as it provides a bipartisan space for scrutiny, accountability, and consensus-building.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Empowering parliamentary committees in India with greater authority can ensure more <\/span><b>informed, inclusive, and transparent law-making<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in the years ahead.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Source: <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/india\/om-birla-parliamentary-role-house-discussion-10218987\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><b>IE<\/b><\/a><b>\u00a0| <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/the-role-of-parliamentary-committees\/article66730595.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><b>TH<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, recently highlighted the increasing importance of parliamentary committees in India in ensuring accountability, but declining quality of dialogue, decorum, and discussion in legislatures.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":61575,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[60,2403,22,59],"class_list":{"0":"post-61298","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"tag-mains-articles","9":"tag-parliament-committees-in-india","10":"tag-upsc-current-affairs","11":"tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs","12":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61298","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\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61298"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61298\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/61575"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61298"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61298"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61298"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}