A study of parliamentary committee system in India with special reference to estimates committee in Punjab

Abstract

Parliamentary Government is the popular form of Democracy. Democracy is not merely a form of government; it is a way of life, an act of faith in the dignity and freedom of the individual. It is now accepted that one of the important function of the Parliament and state legislature is to control the executive. Legislature is the embodiment of the popular will and it must be able to see the way in which public policy is implemented and public money is spent by the Executive. The enormous range and complexity of legislation and administrative functions of a modern state make it almost impossible for the legislature to adequately scrutinize legislative proposals and Oversee administrative actions. The enormous volume of work which comes before a legislature and a limited time at its disposal for its consideration make it impossible that every matter should be considered at length on the floor of the House. To overcome its difficulties a Legislature takes the help of the Committees. A Committee is a body of persons appointed for special functions by a larger body. Financial Committees in particular should have a special importance and they are instruments of Legislative control over Public Expenditure in India. There are three Financial Committees in India like Estimates Committee, Public Accounts Committee and Public Undertakings Committee. The credit of the origin of the institution of Parliamentary Committees goes to the British Parliament. The first Parliamentary Committee was constituted in 1571. The Public Accounts Committee was established by Mr. Gladstone in 1861.After Independence the first Public Accounts Committee was constituted in April 1950. The Estimates Committee was first created in England in 1912. The idea of setting of Estimates Committee in India was mooted in 1938 by Dr. John Mattahi. The first Estimates Committee was constituted in 1950 and demand for separate Committee on Public Undertakings goes back to 1953. The Committee on Public Undertakings setup in India on the pattern of the Select Committee on Nationalized industries of the British Parliament. The first Public Undertakings Committee in India was setup in 1964. There are various Committees framed in the Punjab Legislative Assemblies. These Committees are classified into two categories. One is Financial and other is Non-Financial Committees. The members of Financial Committees are elected from amongst the members of Punjab Legislative Assembly through proportional representation by means of single transferable vote. The tenure, strength i.e. 13 and election procedure remains same. Among the Non-Financial Committees the Committee on the welfare of Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribe is elected whereas remaining Committees are nominated by the Speaker and the strength and tenure of these Committees are quite different.