The Universal Evolution of Parliamentary Committees

• In his analysis of the British parliamentary system, Walter Bagehot remarked, "A big meeting never does anything," in The English Constitution (1867). The committee system, however, is not unique to the British parliamentary framework. Committees play a pivotal role in legislatures around the world.
• Former U.S. President Woodrow Wilson once highlighted the importance of committees by stating that 'Congress in its committee rooms is Congress at work,' referring to these bodies as 'little legislatures.'
• Parliamentary committees are crucial mechanisms designed to address the limitations of large legislative bodies by tackling complex organisational and technical issues. Independent India adopted the modern committee system from the British model but also developed new approaches to manage the substantial workload of its extensive Parliament effectively.

The Origins of India’s Parliamentary Committee System

• India's parliamentary committee system traces its roots to the British colonial era. The first committee, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), was set up in 1921 under the Government of India Act, 1919, also known as the Montford Reforms.
• After the first Lok Sabha election in 1952, the unelected standing advisory committees were dissolved, leaving the PAC and the Estimates Committee (created in 1950) to operate under the direct authority of the Lok Sabha Speaker. By convention, the chair of the PAC is usually from the opposition.
• In addition to financial committees, the Rules Committee was active in the First Lok Sabha, while innovations such as the Business Advisory Committee (chaired by the Speaker) and the Committee on Government Assurance were established. Another significant milestone was the formation of the Committee on Public Undertakings during the third Lok Sabha.

Expansion of the Committee System

• In the 1990s, the parliamentary committee system in India underwent a significant expansion. The Rules Committee approved the creation of three departmental standing committees—agriculture, science and technology, and environment and forest—in 1989.
• By 1993, this was extended to 17 departmental-related standing committees (DRSCs), each comprising 45 members.
• The goal was to make parliamentary work more efficient, enhance executive accountability, and incorporate expert and public opinion into the legislative process.
• The creation of DRSCs coincided with the rise of coalition politics, frequent disruptions in Parliament, declining legislative oversight, and the expedited passage of legislation through ‘guillotine’ procedures.
• There are two main types of committees: standing committees, which are permanent and reconstituted annually, and ad hoc committees, which are formed for specific tasks and dissolved once their work is completed. Principal ad hoc committees include select and joint committees on bills.
• Parliamentary committee members, referred to as panels of MPs, are appointed or elected by the House or