Why in news
- PRS Legislative Research released data highlighting a sharp increase in bills introduced and passed during the same session without committee scrutiny.
Key Findings of the Study
- More than half of the bills passed in the 18th Lok Sabha were introduced and cleared within the same session.
- Eleven out of twelve bills during the recent Monsoon Session were passed without referral to Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committees (DRPSCs).
- Multiple bills were passed without substantive floor debate while Lok Sabha operated at approximately 15% of scheduled time due to disruptions.
Constitutional and Procedural Context
- Referral of bills to Standing Committees is not constitutionally mandatory but regulated by Rules of Procedure of the Houses.
- Bypassing committee scrutiny deprives legislation of multi-party detailed Clause-by-Clause examination and stakeholder consultation.
Key terms
Standing Committee Scrutiny
Detailed clause-by-clause evaluation of introduced bills by bipartisan parliamentary panels prior to voting.
Prelims facts
- Referral of a bill to a Departmentally Related Standing Committee is discretionary under the direction of the Speaker or Chairman.
Mains discussion
- Critically evaluate the decline in committee referrals and short-duration debates on the quality of Indian statutory lawmaking.
Source: Economic Times