{"id":42670,"date":"2025-05-03T18:54:45","date_gmt":"2025-05-03T13:24:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=42670"},"modified":"2025-05-05T12:17:45","modified_gmt":"2025-05-05T06:47:45","slug":"strengthening-parliamentary-oversight-in-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/editorial-analysis\/03-05-2025\/strengthening-parliamentary-oversight-in-india","title":{"rendered":"Strengthening Parliamentary Oversight in India"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/Polity &amp; Governance<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In India, the effectiveness of parliamentary oversight has often been questioned,&nbsp; while the Constitution provides a robust framework for legislative scrutiny.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Strengthening this mechanism is essential for transparency, accountability, and good governance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About the Parliamentary Oversight in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is a fundamental aspect of India\u2019s democratic framework, ensuring that the <strong>executive remains accountable to the legislature.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Parliament plays a crucial role in monitoring government actions, policies, and expenditures through various mechanisms such as <strong>Question Hour, Parliamentary Committees, and Budget Scrutiny.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key Mechanisms of Parliamentary Oversight&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Parliamentary Oversight:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Article 107: <\/strong>Defines the legislative process, including the introduction and passage of bills.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Article 108:<\/strong> Provides for joint sittings of both Houses to resolve legislative deadlocks.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Article 111:<\/strong> Grants the President the power to assent or return bills for reconsideration.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Question Hour and Zero Hour:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Question Hour<\/strong> allows MPs to directly question Ministers on government policies and decisions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Zero Hour <\/strong>provides an opportunity for MPs to raise urgent matters without prior notice.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Committee System for Legislative Review:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Standing Committees: <\/strong>&nbsp;These analyze bills in detail before they are debated in Parliament.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Public Accounts Committee (PAC):<\/strong> It scrutinizes government spending and audits reports.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Estimates Committee:<\/strong> It examines budget allocations and efficiency of government programs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Budgetary Scrutiny:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Article 112:<\/strong> Mandates the presentation of the Annual Financial Statement (Union Budget).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Article 113: <\/strong>Requires Parliamentary approval for government expenditure.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Article 117:<\/strong> Ensures that Money Bills can only be introduced in the Lok Sabha with the President\u2019s recommendation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Challenges in Parliamentary Oversight<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Diminishing Role of Question Hour:<\/strong> Question Hour, a critical tool for government accountability, has seen frequent disruptions, reducing its effectiveness.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In the <strong>17th Lok Sabha (2019-24)<\/strong>, Question Hour functioned for only 60% of its scheduled time in the Lok Sabha and 52% in the Rajya Sabha.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Limited Influence of Parliamentary Committees:<\/strong><strong>Department-related Standing Committees (DRSCs)<\/strong> generate detailed reports, but their findings often do not influence legislation or executive action.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Committee consultations engage a small group of stakeholders, raising concerns about diversity and breadth of input.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Executive Dominance in Budgetary Affairs:<\/strong> Union Finance Ministry crafts the Budget with minimal parliamentary involvement, reducing legislators to mere approvers rather than active participants.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <strong>Rajya Sabha has no substantive role in Budget<\/strong> discussions, despite its democratic credentials.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Success Stories in Parliamentary Oversight<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Financial and Infrastructure Reforms:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <strong>Standing Committee on Railways<\/strong> recommended waiving dividend payments by Indian Railways in 2015 to improve its financial health, which was implemented in 2016.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The <strong>Committee on Public Undertakings<\/strong> addressed delays in NHAI-managed highway projects, recommending that projects commence only after acquiring 80% of land and necessary clearances.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Policy and Legislative Amendments:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <strong>Standing Committee on Transport<\/strong> influenced amendments to the <strong>Motor Vehicles Bill (2017)<\/strong>, removing caps on third-party insurance and establishing a <strong>National Road Safety Board.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The <strong>Estimates Committee <\/strong>advised increasing domestic uranium production, reducing India\u2019s dependency on imports.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Accountability and Corruption Exposures: <\/strong>The PAC exposed critical delays, opaque appointments, and corrupt practices during the Commonwealth Games in 2010.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>On average, the PAC has made 180 recommendations every year in the past eight years, out of which 80% were accepted by the government.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Recommendations for Strengthening Oversight<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Revitalizing Question Hour:<\/strong> Ensuring uninterrupted sessions and systematic scrutiny of government policies.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Encouraging MPs to focus on cross-ministerial issues rather than isolated queries.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Enhancing Committee Effectiveness:<\/strong> Increasing stakeholder engagement in committee discussions.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Ensuring that committee recommendations are debated on the floor of Parliament.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Reforming Budgetary Oversight:<\/strong> Establishing a <strong>Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) <\/strong>to provide independent analysis of financial policies.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Allowing pre-Budget discussions to enhance legislative input.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Post-Legislative Scrutiny:<\/strong> Laws need to be systematically reviewed after passage to assess whether they achieve their intended impact.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India can adopt a <strong>model similar to the United Kingdom<\/strong>, where government departments submit reviews of major laws within three to five years, examined by parliamentary committees.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Institutional Strengthening:<\/strong> Committee reports should be made accessible through translations, visual explainers, and videos, ensuring greater public understanding.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Committees require dedicated research and technical support, moving beyond administrative assistance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Technology-Driven Oversight:<\/strong> Leveraging Artificial Intelligence and data analytics, Parliament can help members swiftly track policy trends, flag irregularities, and frame evidence-based questions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>As <strong>former Vice-President K.R. Narayanan<\/strong> noted, the purpose of legislative oversight is not to weaken the administration but to strengthen it, ensuring meaningful parliamentary support for governance.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Strengthening oversight mechanisms means honoring the mandate given by citizens\u2014ensuring the government remains transparent, accountable, and truly <em>\u2018of the people, by the people, and for the people\u2019.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#fff2cc\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Daily Mains Practice Question<\/strong><br><strong>[Q]<\/strong> Discuss the significance of parliamentary oversight in India\u2019s democratic framework. What challenges hinder effective legislative scrutiny, and what reforms can be implemented to strengthen parliamentary accountability?<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/opinion\/op-ed\/strengthening-parliamentary-oversight-in-india\/article69531585.ece\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Source: TH<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/UPSC-Editorial-Analysis-3-May-2025.PDF.pdf\">Download PDF<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In India, the effectiveness of parliamentary oversight has often been questioned,\u00a0 while the Constitution provides a robust framework for legislative scrutiny.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42670","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-editorial-analysis"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42670","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42670"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42670\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42708,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42670\/revisions\/42708"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42670"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42670"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42670"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}