Dyarchy in Indian Constitutional History
Question
In the context of Indian history, the principle of 'Dyarchy (diarchy)' refers to
(a) Division of the central legislature into two houses. (b) Introduction of double government i.e., Central and State governments. (c) Having two sets of rulers; one in London and another in Delhi. (d) Division of the subjects delegated to the provinces into two categories.
Options
Division of the central legislature into two houses.
Introduction of double government i.e., Central and State governments.
Having two sets of rulers; one in London and another in Delhi.
Division of the subjects delegated to the provinces into two categories.
Explanation
Dyarchy (also spelled Diarchy) was introduced in India through the Government of India Act, 1919 (Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms). It referred to a system of double government at the provincial level where subjects were divided into two categories: (1) Reserved subjects controlled by the Governor, and (2) Transferred subjects controlled by Indian Ministers responsible to the legislative council. This was not about dividing the central legislature (option a), nor about central-state division (option b), nor about rulers in two cities (option c). The defining feature was the division of provincial subjects into two categories with different governance structures. > Dyarchy = Division of provincial subjects into Reserved (Governor) and Transferred (Indian Ministers) categories. Answer: (d).
Question details
Year
2017
Paper
GS Paper 1
Question
Q62
Subject
History
Sub-topic
British India Administrative System
Type
Factual single
Difficulty
Medium
Nature
Static
Source hint
NCERT Modern India - Government of India Act 1919
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