The effectiveness of parliamentary committees is crucial for ensuring executive accountability, legislative scrutiny and informed policymaking. Examine.” (10 Marks) (GS 2: Parliament and State Legislatures)

Parliamentary committees enable detailed, specialised and relatively non-partisan scrutiny of government functioning, complementing the limited time available for discussion on the floor of Parliament.

Ensuring Executive Accountability

1. Financial scrutiny: Committees examine government expenditure and financial proposals in greater detail.
   Example: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) scrutinises expenditure against parliamentary authorisation.
2. Departmental oversight: Department-related Standing Committees examine the functioning of ministries and their demands for grants.
3. Investigative scrutiny: Committees can examine specific issues and administrative actions referred to them.
   Example: The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) can investigate matters of significant public concern.
4. Follow-up mechanism: Committee recommendations require government responses, creating an additional layer of legislative oversight.
5. Cross-party participation: Representation of different parties enables scrutiny beyond the government benches.
6. Detailed examination: Committees can devote substantially more time to issues than is generally possible during parliamentary proceedings.

Improving Legislative Scrutiny and Policymaking

1. Expert evidence: Committees can obtain evidence from officials, experts and stakeholders, improving the quality of legislative deliberation.
2. Technical examination: Complex legislation can receive specialised scrutiny before implementation.
3. Stakeholder consultation: Inputs from affected groups can identify practical difficulties in proposed policies.
4. Evidence-based recommendations: Committee reports can highlight administrative gaps and suggest specific reforms.
5. Continuity of oversight: Committees can examine issues beyond the immediate political cycle.
6. Institutional memory: Their reports create a documented record that can inform subsequent parliamentary and governmental action.

However, their effectiveness can be constrained by limited referral of Bills, inadequate time for examination, vacancies and the non-binding nature of recommendations.

Strengthening committee referral, providing adequate research support and ensuring systematic consideration of recommendations can deepen legislative scrutiny and executive accountability.