Why do you think the committees are considered to be useful for parliamentary work? Discuss, in this…

Question

Why do you think the committees are considered to be useful for parliamentary work? Discuss, in this context, the role of the Estimates Committee.

Ghissu Editorial · Accepted Answer

Committees are useful because they give Parliament time, expertise, evidence and cross-party consensus that the floor cannot. The Estimates Committee, formed in 1950 with 30 Lok Sabha members, acts as a continuous economy committee, though it acts after the vote and only advises.

**Introduction**

Parliament sits too briefly to examine every bill and grant on the floor, so committees do its detailed work. PRS records that only 16% of bills went to committees in the 17th Lok Sabha against 71% in the 15th.

**Why Committees Are Useful for Parliamentary Work**

SKETCH: comparison | Floor of the House vs Committee
a: Floor of House
b: Committee
- Limited time :: Continuous work
- Party whip :: Cross-party consensus
- Public posturing :: Closed-door candour
- Generalist debate :: Expert evidence

1. **Division of labour**: Committees scrutinise bills, grants and policies in parallel while the House legislates, so a short session still yields detailed scrutiny.
2. **Expertise and evidence**: Members build expertise and hear officials and experts, as the Joint Committee on the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code did before the law passed in 2016.
3. **Consensus beyond the whip**: Closed-door sittings without cameras let members reason across party lines and often report unanimously.

**Role of the Estimates Committee**

1. **Continuous economy**: Formed in 1950, its 30 Lok Sabha members suggest economies and improvements in organisation and efficiency.
2. **Alternative means**: It may propose alternative policies for efficiency and tests whether money is well laid out within policy.
3. **Form of the budget**: It suggests how estimates should be presented to Parliament, improving how the House reads the budget.
4. **The limits**: It examines estimates after they are voted, cannot question policy approved by Parliament, covers only a few ministries a year, and only advises.

**Conclusion**

Committees are where Parliament does its detailed work, and the Estimates Committee keeps a continuous watch on economy in public spending. More referrals and pre-budget scrutiny would restore that deliberative strength.

Why do you think the committees are considered to be useful for parliamentary work? Discuss, in this context, the role of the Estimates Committee.

Model answer

Practise this question

Parliament — Conduct of Business5 questions

Ghissu