RAS question
The Government of India Act, 1919 (Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms) introduced which system of governance in the provinces?
Correct answer: (C) Dyarchy (Dwaidh Shasan).
The Government of India Act, 1919 introduced dyarchy in the provinces.
Explanation
The Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms, enacted through the Government of India Act, 1919, introduced dyarchy at the provincial level. The cited eGyanKosh unit explains that provincial subjects were split into two groups: Reserved and Transferred. Reserved subjects remained under the Governor and his Executive Council, keeping British control over key areas. Transferred subjects were administered by the Governor acting with ministers, generally chosen from elected members of the legislature. This divided executive arrangement is why the system is called dyarchy: two sides of provincial government operated under different lines of control. The same reform also expanded representative institutions by providing for direct election of elected members.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Responsible Government is wrong because the 1919 provincial scheme kept Reserved subjects under the Governor and his Executive Council, so responsibility was only partial and divided.
- (B) Provincial Autonomy is wrong because the cited unit treats it as a later demand after dissatisfaction with the 1919 Act, not as the system introduced by that Act.
- (D) Federal System is wrong because the source associates a federal structure with the Government of India Act of 1935, while the 1919 Act introduced dyarchy in the provinces.
Concept
This tests the Modern Indian History theme of constitutional reforms under British rule, especially matching each Act to the institutional device it introduced. It recurs in RAS-style questions because the chronology of 1892, 1909, 1919 and 1935 reforms is a high-yield way to test centre-province power sharing.