Examine the role of Departmentally-related standing committees (DRSCs) in assisting Parliament in law making. Also suggest measures to make DRSCs more effective.
Refer - BusinessLine
IAS Parliament 7 years
KEY POINTS
· DRSCs were formed in 1993.
· Prior to that, select committees were formed from time to time for some important bills.
· Currently, there are 24 DRSCs exist.
Functions of DRSCs
· Examine bills referred to them.
· Select specific topics related to the ministries & examine implementation by the government.
· Examine the budgetary outlays of the departments.
Advantages of DRSCs
· Anti-defection law does not apply to committees, thus it gives an opportunity to make dissent decisions.
· Being outside public glare, it allows members to make decisions without worrying about constituency pressures.
DRSCs boost –
· The overall effectiveness of Parliament as an institution that make laws.
· Holds governments accountable.
· Gives sanction for public spending.
Issues in DRSCs
· Most of the bills were not referred to committees.
· Referring bills to specially formed Joint committees of two houses in order to circumvent specific DRSCs which are headed by opposition parties.
· Lack of standing research support to aid committees.
· By only publishing final report, DRSCs lacking transparency.
· Recommendations of the committees are not binding.
Suggestions
· If detailed proceedings were made public, it would put more pressure on members to posture for their support base.
· A mid-way path would be to disclose the submissions and evidence given by various experts and public to made DRSCs more transparent while keeping DRSCs free from constituency pressures.
· Mandatory examination of all bills introduced in the parliament.
· Creating research teams to aid committee members in order to expertise themselves and scrutinise issues more thoroughly.
