Answer:

A significant feature of Indian legislative process is the appointment of Parliamentary committees for various legislative purposes. Parliamentary committees play a vital role in increasing the efficiency and expertise of parliament in the following manner:

♤ In-depth study of the issue under consideration: Since the Parliament has very limited time at its disposal, committees are able to give more attention and time to a particular issue.

♤ Performing important functions like studying the demands for grants made by various ministries, looking into expenditure incurred by various departments, investigating cases of corruption etc.

♤ Effective Supervision: Departmentally related standing committees supervise the work of various departments, their budget, their expenditure and bills.

♤ Reducing the burden on the Parliament: Joint Parliamentary Committees (JPCs) can be set up for the purpose of discussing a particular bill or for the purpose of investigating financial irregularities etc.

♤ Ironing out ideological and party differences- Committees provide a forum to build consensus across party lines, help develop expertise in subjects and enable consultation with independent experts and stakeholders, thus streamlining the decision making process.