5.7. WHAT DO THE COMMITTEES OF PARLIAMENT DO?

A significant feature of the legislative process is the appointment of committees for various legislative purposes. These committees play a vital role not merely in law making, but also in the day-to-day business of the House.

Committees are essential components of the legislative process in Parliament. They are groups formed to address specific legislative issues or tasks, and they function continuously even when Parliament is not in session. Because Parliament meets only for limited periods, committees help manage the workload and ensure that in-depth analyses are conducted. Committees examine proposed laws, scrutinize budgets, and review the functioning of different ministries, thereby contributing significantly to efficient governance.

Think of committees like special project teams in a company. Just as project teams work on different aspects of a project while the larger team is focused on overarching goals, parliamentary committees tackle specific tasks such as reviewing laws or budgets, allowing the wider parliamentary body to concentrate on larger issues.

Since 1983, India has developed a system of parliamentary standing committees. There are over twenty such departmentally related committees. Standing Committees supervise the work of various departments, their budget, their expenditure, and bills that come up in the house relating to the department.

Parliamentary committees can be broadly classified into standing committees and joint parliamentary committees. Standing committees are permanent and they focus on specific departments, monitoring how these departments function and how they utilize their budgets. They can investigate issues, hold discussions, and submit reports back to Parliament for consideration. Joint committees, on the other hand, may be formed specifically to consider a particular bill or to investigate financial irregularities.

Consider a school where students are divided into clubs based on interests, such as the science club, art club, or sports club. Each club meets regularly to discuss activities and manage its budget. This is similar to how standing committees work – they are specialized groups that focus on specific areas within the broader operation of Parliament.

The committee system has reduced the burden on the Parliament. Many important bills have been referred to committees. The Parliament has merely approved the work done in the committees with few occasional alterations.

The establishment of committees has greatly eased the legislative burden on Parliament. Instead of debating every bill in detail, many proposed laws are sent to committees for thorough examination. Committees use their expertise to refine these bills, and then Parliament usually approves their recommendations with minimal changes. This allows for a more efficient legislative process, as committees do much of the groundwork needed to prepare legislation.

Imagine you're preparing a big presentation at school. Instead of presenting on every slide, you might ask a few friends (like a committee) to review your work and suggest improvements. Their feedback makes it easier for you when you present, as you’ve already addressed potential issues and made your project stronger.

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