Parliamentary Committees: Its Role and Functions

The Rajya Sabha, and the Lok sabha, sometimes known as the lower house, make up the two houses of the Parliament of India. The standing and ad hoc committees are the two parliamentary committees mentioned in the Indian constitution. There is still another platform through which a substantial amount of work may be accomplished inside the parliament. These groups are referred to as committees of parliament. In a parliamentary democracy, the three fundamental pillars that support the structure are representativeness, responsiveness, and accountability. The importance of committees is to discuss various issues related to the parliament.

Article 118 (1) of the Indian constitution governs how these committees handle any issue relevant to their responsibilities. Lawmaking and the task of ensuring that the government is held accountable for its acts are primarily within the purview of parliament.

Requirements of a Parliamentary Committee

For a committee to be referred to as a parliamentary body, such a committee must satisfy certain requirements outlined in the following. 

• Either the Speaker or the Chairman should receive a report from the committee detailing the conclusion of their investigation into the matter.
• The committee members must either be appointed by a house of parliament, nominated by the speaker, or the chairman to serve.
• The secretariat for the committee should be supplied by either the Lok Sabha or the Rajya sabha of the parliament. This should be a requirement for the committee.

The Significance of Parliamentary Committees

• The purpose of the committee system in parliament is to offer a specialised forum to discuss various policy topics. This was the original intention behind the committee system.
• As a result of the fact that these committees maintain a continuous functioning, they have a greater ability than legislative sessions to deal with various issues during the year.
• The discussions in committees tend to be more in-depth and, thus, they consume more time and might last for many months.
• When it comes to handling difficult or serious situations, the parliamentary committee provides specialised support.
• In addition to this, the primary goal is to guarantee that the government is accountable to parliament by providing a more in-depth examination of the issues.
• Having finished the work given to them, the committees have compiled their findings into a final report, including their recommendations in health and medicine.
• Over many years, the committee has done excellent work in improving the legislative process in the nation.

Forms That Committees of Parliament Can Take

They may be arranged into the following departments’ standing committees: 

• Administrative
• Financial
• Ad hoc
• Accountability

The Function of the Committees Within the Parliament

The scope of the government’s obligations has expanded significantly during its history. The purpose of parliamentary committees is to encourage free debate among the committee members to put up a logical procedure for channelling the issues. In addition, committees provide a venue for developing agreements among different political parties, and it remedies the legislative disorder on the floor of the house of representatives.

Importance of the Committee System in the House of Parliament

• Coordination between ministries.
• Performing like a mini-parliament.
• Service as an instrument for in-depth inspections.

The IMC has been responsible for investigating the requests for funding made by the various ministries and departments. The reports that come out of the committee are often quite detailed and credible, providing information on numerous topics about governance. Committees are smaller members of parliament (MPs) units that work throughout the year. Members of both houses, such as Lok sabha members and Rajya sabha members of parliament and all political parties, serve on committees.

What Are Joint Parliamentary Committees India?

The Joint Parliamentary Committee India, often known as JPCS, has come to hold a position of prominence. A Joint Parliamentary Committee India may be established for the reason or cause of debating a bill in particular, in a manner analogous to the discussed bills, or to investigate any financial irregularities that may have occurred. Lok Sabha and the Rajya sabha contribute candidates for membership on these committees.

Committees Under Lok Sabha

• Committee on information technology. 
• Committee on agriculture.
• Committee on energy. 
• Defence committee. 
• Finance committee. 
• Food committee. 
• Consumer affairs and public distribution.
• Committee on petroleum & natural gas. 
• Committee on urban development.
• Committee on external affairs.
• Committee on labour. 
• Committee on railways.
• Committee on chemicals and fertilisers.
• Committee on rural development.
• Committee on water resources. 
• Committee on social justice.

Committees of the Rajya Sabha

• Committee on science and technology.
• Environment and forests committee. 
• Tourism and culture committee.
• Environment and forests committee. 
• Home affairs committee. 
• Commerce committee. 
• Industry committee.

Conclusion

Even though they are not written into the constitution, parliamentary and cabinet committees are essential to maintaining a robust democracy and providing good governance through oversight and improved policy. The significance of parliament committees is that they were established to conduct an in-depth investigation of proposed legislation, government policies, and expenditures. Although it is fair and good to say that these committees have successfully achieved efficiency in performing the works allocated to them by the Indian parliament, it is impossible to deny that there is still space for improvement.