DRSCs hold key for success of effective legislative process

Ravindra Seshu Hyderabad: The Departmentally Related Standing Committees (DRSCs) are ultimate for ensuring effective legislative process, said Lok Sabha secretary general TK Viswanathan, while addressing the officials of the state legislature as part of an orientation programme on functioning of the DRSCs. Viswanathan said that the DRSCs have been tasked with the scrutiny of the demands received from the ministries concerned and examination of the policy documents and annual reports pertaining to related departments. Emphasising the importance of the DRSCs, he said that the burden on the government in dealing with the demands and grants could be reduced considerably once the panels start functioning and submit reports to both the Houses without having a comfort of additional time. The standing committees were expected to act impartially in dealing with issues which the House as a whole may find it difficult to discuss. He said that the DRSCs would provide additional time to the members for detailed deliberation on the legislative and financial business of the House. He said that the Houses would be adjourned for a fixed period after the general discussion on the Budget. Explaining about the procedure in constituting the DRSCs, he said that DRSCs were periodically elected by the House. "Parliament transacts a great deal of its business through committees", he said. "The successful functioning of the three subject committees in the period of over three years led to the constitution of seventeen DRSCs covering under their jurisdiction all the ministries and departments of the Union Government on April 8, 1993", he said. Later, interacting with mediapersons, Viswanathan said that the proceedings of DRSCs should not be covered by the media. "Such coverage would attract privilege of the House", he added.