Parliamentary Control and Committees
NCERT Class 11 - Indian Constitution at Work, Chapter 5
Parliamentary Control and Committees
The executive in a parliamentary system is continuously answerable to the legislature. Parliament exercises this control through questions, motions and debates on the floor, and through committees that do the detailed work off the floor.
Control on the floor of the House
- Question Hour - the first hour of a sitting, when members ask ministers about the working of their departments. Starred questions get an oral answer with supplementaries, unstarred questions get a written answer, and short notice questions concern urgent matters.
- Zero Hour - the period immediately after Question Hour, when members raise urgent matters without prior notice. It is an Indian innovation and finds no mention in the rules.
- Adjournment motion - sets aside normal business to discuss a definite matter of urgent public importance; it carries an element of censure, and is available only in the Lok Sabha.
- Calling attention motion - draws a minister's attention to a matter of urgent public importance and calls for a statement. This too is an Indian device.
- No-confidence motion - can be moved only in the Lok Sabha; if passed, the entire Council of Ministers must resign, because of the principle of collective responsibility under Article 75.
- Censure motion - can be against an individual minister or the whole council, must state the grounds, and does not require resignation if passed.
- Cut motions - policy cut, economy cut and token cut, moved during discussion of the demands for grants.
Parliamentary committees
| Committee | Composition | Function |
|---|---|---|
| Public Accounts Committee | 22 members - 15 Lok Sabha, 7 Rajya Sabha | Examines accounts and the CAG's audit reports |
| Estimates Committee | 30 members, all from the Lok Sabha | Suggests economies in expenditure |
| Committee on Public Undertakings | 22 members - 15 Lok Sabha, 7 Rajya Sabha | Examines the working of public sector undertakings |
| Departmental Standing Committees | Members of both Houses | Examine demands for grants and Bills of their ministries |
- A minister cannot be a member of a financial committee, and by convention the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee is from the opposition.
- The Public Accounts Committee works on the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General, which is why the CAG is sometimes called its friend, philosopher and guide.
- Departmental standing committees allow detailed, non-partisan scrutiny away from the pressure of the House, and most Bills are referred to them.
- Committees compensate for shortage of time on the floor and for the technical complexity of modern legislation.
हिंदी संकेत: शून्यकाल भारतीय संसदीय व्यवहार की अपनी देन है और नियमों में इसका उल्लेख नहीं है। अविश्वास प्रस्ताव केवल लोकसभा में आता है, राज्यसभा में नहीं।
Exam me kaise aata hai
Factual questions ask the composition of the Public Accounts Committee and in which House a no-confidence motion can be moved. Match-the-following links device with its nature. Statement-based questions test whether Zero Hour is mentioned in the rules - it is not.
UPSC / State PSC ke liye
The standard analytical point is the decline of parliamentary control - fewer sittings, less time for debate, frequent disruption and the guillotining of demands. Against this, committees have become the more effective instrument of scrutiny, which is why the departmental standing committee system introduced in the 1990s is treated as a significant reform.
Yahan confuse hote hain
✗ A no-confidence motion can be moved in the Rajya Sabha | ✓ It can be moved only in the Lok Sabha
✗ The Estimates Committee has members from both Houses | ✓ It has members only from the Lok Sabha
✗ A censure motion passed means the government must resign | ✓ Only a no-confidence motion compels resignation
Ek nazar me
- Question Hour has starred, unstarred and short notice questions.
- Zero Hour is an Indian innovation and is not mentioned in the rules.
- Adjournment and calling attention motions raise urgent matters of public importance.
- A no-confidence motion lies only in the Lok Sabha and forces the whole council to resign.
- Public Accounts Committee has 22 members and works on the CAG's reports.
- Estimates Committee has 30 members, all from the Lok Sabha.
- Departmental standing committees scrutinise Bills and demands for grants.