In the context of Indian history, the principle of ‘Dyarchy (diarchy)’ refers to
Answer & explanation
Answer: (d) Division of the subjects delegated to the provinces into two categories.
Dyarchy, introduced in the provinces by the Government of India Act, 1919, divided provincial subjects into two lists: ‘reserved’ subjects run by the Governor with his executive council, and ‘transferred’ subjects run by Indian ministers answerable to the elected provincial legislature.
- ✓ (d) Provincial subjects were split into reserved and transferred categories, and each was administered by a different set of authorities under the same Governor.
- ✗ (a) The 1919 Act did make the central legislature bicameral (a Legislative Assembly and a Council of State), but that was a separate reform. Dyarchy was confined to the provinces.
- ✗ (b) A division of powers between the Centre and the provinces is a federal arrangement, not dyarchy. Dyarchy worked inside each province; the 1919 Act classified subjects as Central and Provincial and split only the provincial ones.
- ✗ (c) Dyarchy was not about rulers in London and Delhi. It concerned the division of authority within a provincial government.
Remember · Dyarchy (1919 Act): provincial subjects split into reserved (Governor and executive council) and transferred (ministers from the elected legislature); no dyarchy at the Centre.
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 12 Themes in Indian History, Part III, Ch 4 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly (Government of Tamil Nadu): History of the State Legislature ↗ “in regard to provincial matters a further division was made into "transferred subjects" administered by the Governor and his ministers responsible to the Legislative Council and "reserved subjects" administered by the Governor and his Executive Council.”
- PIB, President's Secretariat: Shri Pranab Mukherjee, Bhairon Singh Shekhawat Memorial Lecture on the History of Parliamentary Democracy in India (15 May 2017) ↗ “The Government of India Act 1919 introduced the system of ‘dyarchy’ in eight major Provinces known as Governors Provinces. This system established a dual form of government in each province. … Under the 1919 Act, the Imperial Legislative Council was enlarged and a bicameral legislature introduced.”
- NCERT Class 12 · Themes in Indian History, Part III, Chapter 4 “The executive was made partly responsible to the provincial legislature in 1919, and almost entirely so under the Government of India Act of 1935.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2017, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·