The Government recently passed two agriculture Bills, leading to a protest by the Opposition. The contention stemmed from the fact that these Bills didn’t go through the scrutinizing process of a Parliamentary Committee.
Understanding Parliamentary Committees
A Parliamentary Committee is an integral part of Parliament. It’s either appointed or elected by the House or nominated by the Speaker or Chairman. Its key roles are working under the Speaker or Chairman’s direction and presenting its report to the House or the Speaker/Chairman. The Lok Sabha/Rajya Sabha provides a secretariat for these committees.
Parliament scrutinizes legislative proposals (Bills) in two ways: by discussing it on the floor of the two Houses – a mandatory legislative requirement, and by referring a Bill to a Parliamentary Committee. However, referring Bills to parliamentary committees is not a compulsory practice.
The Purpose of Parliamentary Committees
Since Parliament only meets for 70 to 80 days in a year, it does not have enough time to discuss every Bill in detail on the floor of the House. Moreover, the debates in the house are mainly political and do not always delve into the technical details of a legislative proposal. Therefore, Parliamentary Committees help overcome this infirmity by facilitating focused and detailed discussions on a proposed law.
Types of Parliamentary Committees
India’s Parliament constitutes several committees differentiated based on their work, membership, and tenure length. However, they generally fall into two categories: Standing Committees and Ad Hoc Committees.
Standing Committees are permanent and operate on a continuous basis. They can further be divided into six categories; Financial Committees, Departmental Standing Committees, Committees to Enquire, Committees to Scrutinise and Control, Committees Relating to the Day-to-Day Business of the House, and House-Keeping Committees or Service Committees.
On the other hand, Ad Hoc Committees are temporary, ceasing to exist upon task completion. These get further subdivided into Inquiry Committees and Advisory Committees.
Parliamentary Committee Procedures
There are three primary ways a Bill can reach a Parliamentary Committee. First, the minister introducing the Bill may recommend the House to examine his Bill via a Select Committee or a Joint Committee of both Houses. Second, the presiding officer of the House can also direct a Bill to a Parliamentary Committee. Lastly, a Bill passed by one House can be dispatched by the other House to its Select Committee.
The committee’s report is recommendatory, meaning the government has the discretion to accept or reject its recommendations. The Committee may also suggest its version of the Bill.
Last Modified: February 9, 2024