UPSC Mains 2023 GS2 Q16 — Parliamentary Committees
Explain the structure of the Parliamentary Committee system. How far have the financial committees helped in the institutionalisation of Indian Parliament? (Answer in 250 words)
Question Decoded — examiner's intent
- Directive verbs
- ExplainHow far
- Scope keywords
- Parliamentary Committee systemfinancial committeesinstitutionalisationIndian Parliament
- Implicit sub-parts
- The organizational classification of committees (Standing vs Ad-hoc) and their composition.
- The specific roles of Public Accounts Committee, Estimates Committee, and Committee on Public Undertakings.
- Evaluation of their contribution to legislative oversight, accountability of the executive, and technical scrutiny of budgets.
- Critical assessment of limitations like the post-mortem nature of audits and the advisory status of recommendations.
- Common pitfalls
- Writing too much about Departmentally Related Standing Committees (DRSCs) while ignoring the specific focus on Financial Committees.
- Failing to define 'institutionalisation' as the process of building predictable, rule-based oversight rather than just listing functions.
- Omitting the role of the CAG in assisting the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
- Providing a static description of the committees without mentioning their impact on 'accountability' and 'transparency'.
- Dimensions required
- Constitutional/LegislativeFinancial/AccountabilityAdministrative/Executive-Legislative relationsSystemic/Institutional
- Marks allocation hint
Spend approximately 75 words on the structural classification of the committee system. Devote the remaining 175 words to the three financial committees, specifically analyzing how they foster institutionalization through expertise, bipartisan consensus, and executive scrutiny, while concluding with a brief note on their limitations.
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