Mains Syllabus : GS II - Parliament and State legislatures—structure, functioning, conduct of business, powers & privileges and issues arising out of these.

Why in the News?

Opposition leaders have written to Prime Minister seeking a special session of Parliament to discuss the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam.

What are the significances of parliamentary oversight?

• Upholding democracy - Constituent assembly adopted parliamentary from of government to ensure a democratic form of responsible government.
• Ensuring executive Accountability - Parliamentary oversight is a fundamental mechanism for holding the executive branch accountable for its actions.
• For example, Public Accounts Committee (PAC) exposed critical delays, opaque appointments, and corrupt practices during the Commonwealth Games in 2010.
• Checks and balances – Parliament’s role as a check on the executive, helps in maintaining the balance of power.
• Promoting transparency -  It provides a transparent platform for scrutinizing government operations, which enhances public confidence in governance
• Improving governance efficiency - By monitoring government spending and policy outcomes, parliamentary oversight helps ensure that public resources are used efficiently and government programs achieve their intended results.
• For example , The Standing Committee on Railways recommended waiving dividend payments by Indian Railways in 2015 to improve its financial health, which was implemented in 2016.
• Scrutinizing bills – Bills can be sent to parliamentary committees for detailed evaluations and prevent hasty implementation and provide more inputs in enhancing the bill.
• For example, The Standing Committee on Transport influenced the Motor Vehicles Bill amendments in 2017, removing caps on third-party insurance and establishing a National Road Safety Board.
• Budgetary oversight - Parliament controls government finances through appropriation of grants and post-budgetary scrutiny by committees like the Public Accounts Committee, ensuring funds are used as intended.
• Upholds rule of law - It protects citizens' rights by investigating and addressing abuses of power, arbitrary or illegal conduct by government officials and public agencies.

What are the parliamentary oversight mechanisms?

• Over decades, Parliament has developed an array of mechanisms to fulfil this mandate — some formal, some by convention.
• Question hour - Legislators ask questions to ministers to scrutinize government functioning and policies.
• Zero hour, calling attention motion, adjournment motion - To raise urgent public issues and demand government explanations.
• No-confidence and censure motions - Formal means to express dissatisfaction with the government and hold it accountable.
• No confidence motion is a powerful tool that empowers the parliament to remove the executive.
• Parliamentary  committees – Public accounts committee and Department-related Standing Committees (DRSC), meet regularly and systematically evaluate the working of government , it’s policy decisions and provide valuable suggestions.
• For example, Committee on Public Undertakings addressing delays in National Highways Authority of India (NHAI)-managed highway projects, recommending that projects commence only after acquiring 80% of land and necessary clearances.
• Similarly, the Estimates Committee advised increasing domestic uranium production by opening new mines, reducing dependency on imports.
• On average, the PAC has made 180 recommendations every year in the past eight years, out of which 80% were accepted by the government.
• Ad Hoc committees - Formed for specific purposes and dissolved after completing their tasks, such as inquiry committees or joint committees on particular bills or issues.
• These tools form the framework of accountability of executive to parliament.

What are the challenges in ensuring parliamentary oversight?

• Despite its strong framework, parliamentary oversight often falls short.
• Disruption in parliamentary functioning - Question Hour, intended as a daily spotlight on government accountability, is frequently disrupted by protests, leading to adjournments where important issues remain unaddressed.

During the 17th Lok Sabha (2019-24), Question Hour functioned for 60% of its scheduled time in the Lok Sabha and 52% in Rajya Sabha, significantly reducing its effectiveness.

• Ineffective scrutiny - Even when question hour operates, individual MPs tend to focus on isolated queries rather than a systematic scrutiny of complex, cross-ministerial problems.
• Inadequate diversity of parliamentary committees - Despite their mandate for detailed scrutiny, committee consultations tend to engage a relatively small group of stakeholders, raising concerns about diversity and the breadth of input.
• Lack of expertise support to parliament members - MPs in India often operate without specialised staff or professional research support, making it harder to scrutinise complex policies or spending data.
• Faced with massive volumes of budget documents, audit reports, and policy reviews, they are at a disadvantage.
• Moreover, their inherently temporary structure limits the ability of members to develop both expertise and institutional standing.
• Not discussing parliamentary reports - The evaluations of policies and schemes by the parliamentary committee, their reports are often not taken up for discussion on the floor.
• Lack of post legislative scrutiny - India lacks a formal process to track whether laws are achieving their intended impact.

What lies ahead?

• Strengthening the role of Parliament in scrutinising executive action is essential in not just making laws but also ensuring their effective implementation and accountability.
• To make oversight truly effective, Parliament could  adopt targeted reforms, beginning with robust post-legislative scrutiny.
• The gap in post legislative scrutiny can be addressed by creating subcommittees under each Standing Committee or a specialised body to review implementation.
• For example , in The United Kingdom , government departments submit reviews of major laws within three to five years, which are then examined by parliamentary committees — enabling timely course correction and ensuring that laws deliver on their promises.
• To strengthen and institutionalise committee work , the oversight findings can be made accessible through translations in local languages, visual explainers, or short videos.
• Select DRSC reports can be brought to the floor for debate, followed by a mandatory response from the Minister concerned.
• This would ensure that committee work informs parliamentary discourse and enhances executive accountability.
• Committees can also be strengthened with dedicated research and technical support, thus moving beyond mere administrative assistance.
• Technology offers a powerful opportunity to modernise and strengthen parliamentary oversight.
• By leveraging Artificial Intelligence and data analytics, Parliament can help members swiftly flag irregularities, track policy trends, and frame sharper, evidence-based questions.
• Strengthening legislative oversight means honouring the mandate citizens have given their representatives; to make sure the machinery of government stays transparent, accountable, and truly “of the people, by the people, and for the people.

Reference

The Hindu | Strengthening parliamentary oversight in India