The distribution of powers between the Centre and the States in the Indian Constitution is based on the scheme provided in the:
Answer & explanation
Answer: (c) Government of India Act, 1935
The Government of India Act, 1935 was the first law to divide legislative powers between a central (federal) legislature and the provinces by means of three lists. The Seventh Schedule of the Constitution (Union, State and Concurrent Lists) keeps this three-list scheme.
- ✓ (c) The 1935 Act made the provinces autonomous in their own spheres. It divided legislative subjects into Federal, Provincial and Concurrent Lists. The Constitution retained this arrangement as the Union, State and Concurrent Lists, but gave residuary powers to the Union; under the 1935 Act they had rested with the Governor-General.
- ✗ (b) The 1919 Act (Montagu-Chelmsford) separated central and provincial subjects and introduced diarchy in the provinces. It had no three-list scheme and did not create a federation.
- ✗ (a) The 1909 Morley-Minto Reforms enlarged the legislative councils and introduced separate electorates for Muslims. They did not divide powers between the Centre and the provinces.
- ✗ (d) The Indian Independence Act, 1947 created the two dominions of India and Pakistan and ended British rule. It did not lay down a scheme for dividing powers between the Centre and the States.
Remember · The three-list division (Union, State, Concurrent) of the Seventh Schedule comes from the Government of India Act, 1935. The one change was residuary powers, which the Constitution gives to the Union.
Sources
- Enumeration of Legislative Powers in India (Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister) ↗ “Further, it laid down the scheme of distribution of legislative powers into three lists, which has been retained in the Indian Constitution.”
Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 2012, General Studies Paper I. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 25 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·
