Features of the Government of India Act, 1919

The following are the important features of the Government of India Act, of 1919:

• In a separate Preamble to this Act, the British Government said that the goal was to gradually introduce responsible governance to India.
• Provincial Governments imposed diarchy. Two governments, one of which is responsible and the other not, define a state of diarchy. Subjects of the provincial government were divided into two groups. A group was put aside, while the other was moved. The Indian ministers of the province received the transferred subjects, while the British governor of the province exercised jurisdiction over the reserved subjects.
• The Legislative Assembly, which served as the basis for the Lok Sabha today, had 145 members in its lower chamber, the Legislative Assembly, and 60 members in its upper house, the Council of States, which served five-year terms (the model for today’s Rajya Sabha).
• India was able to create a Public Service Commission for the first time because of the Act.
• Only those individuals who paid the government a minimum amount of “Tax” were awarded the franchise (the right to vote).
• The seats were allotted to the provinces based on factors other than population density, such as the provinces’ significance to the government and their communities, with property serving as a primary criterion for franchisee selection.
• The Government of India Act allowed for a diarchic structure that would partially transfer authority to the people.
• By designating the provinces as units of general and budgetary administration, it also laid the foundation for Indian federalism.
• Also, the act provided that a statutory commission would be established to investigate the government’s operational system ten years after it was approved. This act led to the creation of the Simon Commission in 1927.

Montagu Chelmsford Reforms is also known as the Government of India Act 1919. Government of India Act 1919 was a British Parliament act that increased Indian participation in national governance. This act was prepared in 1919 on the outline of Montagu Chelmsford Reports (1918). This Reforms was named Montagu Chelmsford Reforms, because during that time, Edwin Montagu, the Secretary of State of British India from 1917 to 1922, and viceroy of India Lord Chelmsford (1916-1921).

Government of India Act 1919 indicated the start of India’s accountable government and the end of the dictatorship, in which the ruling class enriched themselves. In this article, we will discuss the Government of India Act 1919, along with its background, features, provisions, advantages, and limitations.