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Polity & Governance
Mahesh

08/10/22 06:48 AM IST

Parliament Committees

In News 
  • A revamp of the Standing Committees of Parliament could potentially worsen the relations between the government and opposition parties.
Parliamentary Committees
  • A Parliamentary Committee is a panel of MPs that is appointed or elected by the House or nominated by the Speaker, and which works under the direction of the Speaker.
  • It presents its report to the House or to the Speaker.
  • Legislative business begins when a Bill is introduced in either House of Parliament.
  • But the process of lawmaking is often complex, and Parliament has limited time for detailed discussions.
  • Also, the political polarisation and shrinking middle ground has been leading to increasingly rancorous and inconclusive debates in Parliament — as a result of which a great deal of legislative business ends up taking place in the Parliamentary Committees instead.
Historical Background 
  • Parliamentary Committees have their origins in the British Parliament.
  • They draw their authority from Article 105, which deals with the privileges of MPs, and Article 118, which gives Parliament authority to make rules to regulate its procedure and conduct of business.
Measures needed to reform PSC
  • It should be made mandatory for all the bills and budgets to be examined by PSC by convention
  • For this rules of procedure in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha be amended
  • Some constitutional experts argue to increase the PSC tenure from 1 year to two years, to give them more time and gain more expertise in their respective areas.
  • Institutional research and expert support will allow committees to better scrutinize the bills and recommend innovative solutions to the government
  • Major committee reports should be discussed in Parliament esp. for the reports where there is a disagreement between a Committee and the government.
  • Parliamentary Standing Committees should scrutinize Ministries that are not audited by PAC
Source Indian Express 

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