Legislative Control Over Public Administration in India

In India the legislature, the representative body of the people exercises control over the administration. The administration cannot act contrary to the guidelines laid down by the legislature. It lays down the broader policy of administration. The legislature not only defines the functions of the government but also provides the finance for its various programmes. The control over financial matters is exercised through the various committees established by the legislature. The administration cannot spend a single rupee without the sanction of legislature. The administration is expected to keep the accurate account of all financial transactions and submit the reports of such transactions to the legislature.

The legislature also deals with the matter related with public personnel. The manner of recruitment of the public personnel, their number, their duties and powers, their service conditions, rules of procedure, code of conduct etc. are determined by the legislature. The failure to adhere to those rules accounts for the disciplinary action against the administration. Further the public personnel are held responsible for their official acts. They are supposed to keep the proper records of their official acts and submit the reports to the legislature at least once a year, when called upon by the legislature giving a full account of their acts. The legislature may also conduct the special investigation or inquiry of the manner in which administrative affairs have been conducted. The legislature has the general power of direction, supervision and control over administration.