UPSC Prelims 2001 Q1: Indian Polity – Parliament & State Legislatures
- (a) Through Consultative Committees of various ministries
- (b) Through Parliamentary Committees
- (c) By making the administrators send periodic reports
- (d) By compelling the executive to issue writs
Answer: (b) Through Parliamentary Committees
Explanation
How the Indian Parliament exercises control over the administration
| Device | How it controls the administration |
|---|---|
| Parliamentary Committees | Public Accounts, Estimates, Committee on Public Undertakings, Departmentally Related Standing Committees examine spending and working of ministries in detail |
| Question Hour and debates | Ministers answer for their departments on the floor |
| Consultative Committees | Informal forums of MPs with a minister; advisory only, no power to examine records |
| Writs | Issued by courts (Articles 32 and 226), not by Parliament |
Parliament is too large to watch day-to-day administration itself, so it works through Parliamentary Committees. They examine accounts, estimates and the working of ministries, call for papers and report to the House. Consultative Committees only discuss policy informally, and writs are a judicial remedy.
Answer: (b) Through Parliamentary Committees.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Incorrect. Consultative Committees are informal and advisory; they do not control the administration.
- (b) CORRECT. Parliamentary Committees are the main tool of Parliament's control over the administration.
- (c) Incorrect. Reports reach Parliament through ministers, not by Parliament directing administrators.
- (d) Incorrect. Writs are issued by the Supreme Court and High Courts, not by Parliament.
Key point
Financial committees: Public Accounts Committee (chaired by an Opposition MP by convention), Estimates Committee, Committee on Public Undertakings.
Remember
Detailed parliamentary control over administration = Parliamentary Committees.
Common mistakes
- Choosing Consultative Committees because they are attached to ministries.
- Thinking Parliament can compel writs; writs are judicial.
- Forgetting that committees, not the whole House, do the detailed scrutiny.
Exam tip
Parliament controls the executive in the House (questions, motions) and the administration in detail through committees.
Sources
- M. Laxmikanth — Indian Polity, chapter 'Parliamentary Committees'
- Lok Sabha Secretariat — Parliamentary Committees (official page, loksabha.nic.in)