The Mains 2023 GS Paper 2 included a question probing the structure of the Parliamentary committee system and the extent to which the financial committees have facilitated the institutionalization of the Indian Parliament. Let’s examine the model answer provided for this question.
UPSC Mains General Studies Paper – 1 Mains 2023
UPSC Mains Civil Services IAS Exam Question Paper – 2023
Introduction
The Parliamentary committee system is an essential mechanism in the legislative functioning of Indian democracy. It plays a pivotal role in the functioning of the Indian Parliament. Parliamentary committees have their origin in the British parliament. The committee is the panel of MPs appointed or elected by the speaker/chairmen. They are constituted to drive deeper into matters of public concern and develop expert opinion.
Body
Structure of Parliamentary committee
There are two types of Parliamentary Committee
Standing Committee
- Permanent in nature
- Constituted once in a year or periodically
- Types
- Finance committee
- Departmental standing committee
- Committees to Inquire
- Committees to scrutinise and control
- Committees related to day-to-day business of the house
- House-keeping committees or Service Committee
Ad hoc Committee
- Inquiry committee
- Advisory committee
Role of financial committee helping in the institutionalisation of Indian Parliament is as follows:-
The financial committee helps the parliament of India to keep control over the finance of the country. Under the finance committee there are 3 sub committees established according to the conduct of business and rule of procedure.
Public accounts committee(PAC)
- Appropriations and scrutinisation of accounts are done through this committee
- It examines the report of CAG
- Helps unearth scams
- Example – The Bombay Adarsh housing scam, The 2G scam, The commonwealth scam
- It does expenditure confirmation and checks legal availability of money.
The Estimates Committee
- To suggest alternative policies in order to bring about efficiency and economy in administration
- It checks if money is properly laid out within the limits of the policy implied in the estimates
- Example – In 2018, estimates committee called chief economic advisor to discuss mounting NPAs of govt banks.
Committee of Public Undertaking
- It checks the efficiency and autonomy of public undertaking like NTPC, ONGC, IOCL etc
- It examines the CAG report on public undertaking
- It analyses other functions of the estimate committee and public accounts committee that have a relation with public undertaking.
Associated issues :-
- No power to limit the expense
- Recommendations are advisory in nature and are not binding to the government
- They do not have mandate to examine the policy in the broader sense
- Require expert members to examine the report of CAG as PAC members are too generalist for it.
Conclusion
Hence financial committees are a system utilised by the parliament to gain control over governmental and public expenditure within a country and to ensure that the government’s economic policies and expenditure align with the nation’s best interests.
In case you still have your doubts, contact us on 8792740517.
For UPSC Prelims Resources, Click here
For Daily Updates and Study Material:
Join our Telegram Channel – Edukemy for IAS
- 1. Learn through Videos – here
- 2. Be Exam Ready by Practicing Daily MCQs – here
- 3. Daily Newsletter – Get all your Current Affairs Covered – here
- 4. Mains Answer Writing Practice – here
