Prelims 2012 · archive
EasyWhich of the following is/are the principal feature(s) of the Government of India Act, 1919?
- 1.Introduction of diarchy in the executive government of the provinces.
- 2.Introduction of separate communal electorates for Muslims.
- 3.Devolution of legislative authority by the center to the provinces.
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
Answer & explanation
Answer: (c) 1 and 3 only
The 1919 Act (Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms) brought in diarchy in the provinces and shifted powers from the Centre to the provinces. Separate communal electorates for Muslims had been introduced earlier, by the Morley–Minto Act of 1909.
- ✓ 1. The Act split provincial government into 'transferred' subjects, run by Indian ministers answerable to the legislature, and 'reserved' subjects, run by the Governor and his executive council. This is diarchy. It applied in the eight major Governors' Provinces; there was no diarchy at the Centre.
- ✗ 2. Separate electorates for Muslims came with the Indian Councils Act of 1909 (Morley–Minto Reforms), which followed Viceroy Minto's wish to give Muslims separate representation. The 1919 Act kept and extended communal representation, but it did not introduce it.
- ✓ 3. The 1919 Act transferred some functions to the provincial governments, which also became responsible for raising taxes to fund them. Subjects were divided into central and provincial lists, and provincial legislatures gained wider powers.
Remember · 1909 Morley–Minto Act: separate electorates for Muslims. 1919 Montagu–Chelmsford Act: diarchy in the provinces, with devolution to them, and a bicameral Centre. 1935 Act: provincial autonomy.
Sources
- House of Lords Library: Lord Sinha of Raipur and the Government of India Act 1919 ↗ · reference work “Transfer of some functions to provincial government, with provincial government also responsible for raising the necessary taxes to fund them. Introduction of a system of “dyarchy” within provincial governments.”
- Encyclopaedia Britannica: Gilbert John Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 4th earl of Minto ↗ · reference work “Minto’s desire to secure better representation for the landed and commercial interests and for Muslims in the legislative councils resulted in the establishment of separate Hindu and Muslim electorates.”
- President of India: Speech, 15 May 2017 (Government of India Act 1919) ↗ “The Government of India Act 1919 introduced the system of ‘dyarchy’ in eight major Provinces known as Governors Provinces.”
Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 2012, General Studies paper. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 25 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·