Parliamentary committee
Topic: Parliamentary Procedure, Committees and Privileges · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 5 "Legislature"
Meaning
A parliamentary committee is a small group of MPs that studies bills, budgets, spending or particular issues in depth. It does this work between the sittings of the full House. Sessions are short and the House is large, so committees give MPs time, expert help and a chance to work across party lines away from the cameras. Class 11 calls them "miniature legislatures" and says their suggestions are rarely rejected. Their recommendations are advisory, but ministries must file action-taken replies.
Example
In a Class 8 example, the Health Committee asked states to set up separate Ayush departments, and the ministry replied that public health is a state subject. Another Class 8 example is the RTE bill. It was introduced in the Rajya Sabha in 2008, studied by a committee and enacted in 2009.
Don't confuse with
- Consultative committees: informal groups of MPs set up by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and chaired by ministers. They are not parliamentary committees.
Related concepts
- Standing committee
- Ad hoc committee
- Public Accounts Committee
- Estimates Committee
- Committee on Public Undertakings