Government of India Act 1919 

The Government of India Act 1919 was an act of the British Parliament that aimed to increase Indians' involvement in their country 's administration.The Act embodied the reforms proposed in the report of Edwin Montagu, the Secretary of State for India, and Lord Chelmsford, the Viceroy.



At the Provincial Level, diarchy was implemented. A dual collection of governments means diarchy; one is accountable, the other is not accountable. The provincial government's subjects were subdivided into two classes. One category was allocated, and it was moved to the other. The reserved subjects were governed by the province's British Governor; the subjects transferred were given to the province's Indian ministers.It provided for the classification of central and provincial subjects by that act. The Income Tax was maintained by the Act as a source of revenue for the Central Government.

The central legislature was made bicameral by this Act. The Legislative Assembly was the lower house with 145 members serving three-year terms, and the upper house was the Council of States with 60 members serving five-year terms.

The Act provided for the first successful establishment of a Public Service Commission in India.

Government of India Act 1935

Government of India Act 1919 was the longest act enacted by the British Parliament at that time.Because of its length, the Act was retroactively split into The Government of India Act, 1935 , having 321 sections and 10 schedules and Government of Burma Act, 1935 having 159 sections and 6 schedules.

  • Provision for the formation of a "Federation of India" consisting both of British India and of some or all of the "princely states"
  • Increasing the franchise from seven million to thirty-five million voters by implementing direct elections
  • It provided for the adoption at the Centre of the Dyarchy. The federal subjects were then split into reserved subjects and transferred subjects. This clause of the Act did not, however, come into effect at all.
  • A federal court was established at Delhi for the resolution of disputes between provinces and also between the centre and the provinces.



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