Which of the following is/are the principal feature(s) of the Government of India Act, 1919? 1) Introduction of diarchy in the executive government of the provinces 2) Introduction of separate communal electorates for Muslims 3) Devolution of legislative authority by the centre to the provinces Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

The correct answer is C. Statements 1 and 3 are principal features of the Government of India Act, 1919 (Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms), while statement 2 is not.

• Statement 1 (correct): The Act introduced dyarchy in the provinces, dividing subjects into 'transferred' subjects handled by ministers responsible to the provincial legislature and 'reserved' subjects run by the Governor-in-Council.
• Statement 2 (wrong): Separate electorates for Muslims were created by the Indian Councils Act, 1909 (Morley-Minto Reforms). The 1919 Act extended communal representation to further groups such as Sikhs, Indian Christians and Anglo-Indians, but it did not introduce the principle.
• Statement 3 (correct): The Act devolved legislative authority from the Centre to the provinces by demarcating central and provincial subjects, giving provincial legislatures more powers, although the Centre retained overall control.

The core concept is the nature of constitutional devolution under British rule. The limits of the 1919 scheme led to the Simon Commission and the Government of India Act, 1935. For Mains, the practical failure of dyarchy is a useful example of how formal devolution can fall short of real autonomy.

Trap: Aspirants see 'communal electorates' and assume 1919, because the Act is often cited for expanding them. The origin lies in 1909.