PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEES

• While the Ad Hoc Committees are temporary and cease to exist on completion of the task assigned to them.
• They are further subdivided into Inquiry Committees and Advisory Committees.
• The Principal Ad hoc Committees are the select and Joint Committees on Bills.

5. Evolution of Committees

• Even though a structured committee system was only established in 1993, individual committees were being formed for various reasons as far back as independence.
• The Ad Hoc Committee on the Citizenship Clause, as the name suggests, was formed to discuss the nature and scope of Indian citizenship. 
• Two other very significant committees were the Northeast Frontier (Assam) Tribal and Excluded Areas Sub­Committee (July 28, 1947) and the Excluded and Partially Excluded Areas (Other than Assam) Sub­Committee (August 18, 1947).
• Then there was the Expert Committee on Financial Provisions of the Union Constitution (December 5, 1947), which was responsible for giving recommendations on Union and Province (State) tax collection, central excise duty, liquor revenue, the divisible pool of income tax, sharing of proceeds among provinces, residuary powers, and the institutions of the Finance Commission and the Auditor General, among other things.
• Finally, the Advisory Committee on the Subject of Political Safeguards for Minorities (May 11, 1949), chaired by Sardar Patel, looked at the abolition of reservations for religious minorities.
• So, in essence, committees have been doing monumental work since the unveiling of independent India.
• Today, both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha have their Standing (permanent) Committees and Ad Hoc (need­based) Committees. There are also Joint Committees with representation from both Houses.

6. Role and Importance of Parliamentary Committees in Indian Democracy

• Lawmaking: Due to large the volume of the legislature, discussion of all the bills in parliament in detail is not possible. Committees do a detailed discussion and analysis of a proposed law, thus enabling that every law is for benefit of citizens.
• Executive accountability: Parliamentary committees ensure executive accountability through scrutiny of public spending and various laws. The Public Accounts Committee is concerned with the manner and results of spending public funds. It scrutinizes the accounts and the report of the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India, thereby ensuring accountability for any misspending.
• Better informed discussion: Committee allows members for a more meaningful exchange of views as against discussions in open Houses where party positions take precedence. This allows them to take better decisions on policies.
• Expertise: Committees allow the use of input and suggestions from various experts on the subject matter of law thereby helping to formulate better policies and laws. Changes in technology and the expansion of the economy bring new policy challenges that require the assistance of experts in dealing with such situations. It is through these committees that such expertise is involved in law-making.
• Help in Economic growth: The Estimates Committee does a detailed examination of the budget estimates. It suggests alternative policies to bring about efficiency and economy in administration.
• Scrutiny of Public funds: The Public Accounts Committee scrutinizes the government accounts and the report of the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India. Thus reducing chances of misspending and also validating government spending statistics.
• Ensure better laws and rules: The Committee on Subordinate Legislation scrutinizes and reports to the House about regulations, rules, sub-rules, by-laws, etc., conferred by the Constitution being properly exercised within the limits of various provisions.
• Ensure Answerability: The Committee on Government Assurances Committee scrutinizes the various assurances, promises, undertakings, etc., given by ministers from time to time to report on the extent to which such assurances have been implemented. This ensures the answerability of government to the public enabling democracy in true spirit.

7. Current Progress

• Perhaps the most salient work done by a committee in recent years is on the Digital Data Protection Bill.
• Beginning in 2017 in the wake of the Puttaswamy judgment that recognized privacy as a fundamental right, the Justice Srikrishna Committee was formed and tasked with preparing a data protection framework for India.
• It presented the final 166­page report in 2018, covering everything from data processing and storage to rights and enforcement on the basis of which the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019 was tabled in the Lok Sabha.
• It was referred to another committee, this time a Joint Parliamentary Committee chaired by P.P. Chaudhary, whose report came out in December 2021, following which the bill was withdrawn, and a new Draft of the Digital Data Protection Bill was introduced for public consultation in November 2022.
• In each iteration, the committees’ insights have not only been invaluable but also formed the very basis of what is possibly the single most crucial legislation for a growing economy in the digital age.
• Several important laws such as the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill sought to raise the legal marriageable age of women to 21.
• The Anti­Maritime Piracy Bill brings into enactment the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea for combating piracy on the high seas.
• The Jan Vishwas Bill amends 42 laws across sectors like agriculture and media, the Wildlife Protection (Amendment) Bill that extends the scope of protected species, the Competition (Amendment) Bill, the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill, and the Multi­State Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill have all been referred to Committees.

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