The distribution of powers between the Centre and the States in the Indian Constitution is based on the scheme provided in the:

The correct answer is C) Government of India Act, 1935. The Constitution's Seventh Schedule, with its Union, State and Concurrent Lists, is largely carried over from the subject lists of the 1935 Act, which had a Federal, Provincial and Concurrent list. That is the basis of the Centre-State division of powers.

• A) Morley-Minto Reforms, 1909: These expanded legislative councils and introduced separate electorates. They did not divide subjects between a federal centre and the provinces.
• B) Government of India Act, 1919: This introduced dyarchy in the provinces, splitting subjects into reserved and transferred categories. It was a diarchic arrangement within provinces, not a federal distribution between Centre and States.
• D) Indian Independence Act, 1947: This ended British rule and provided for partition. It did not lay down the distribution of powers. The 1935 Act continued to serve as the interim framework.

The key concept is the three-list scheme. One difference matters: the 1935 Act gave residuary powers to the Governor-General, whereas the Constitution vests residuary powers in the Union under Article 248. Mains often links this to the debate on Centre-State relations, the Sarkaria Commission and the need for cooperative federalism.

Trap: Aspirants often pick 1919 because dyarchy is the more familiar reform. Remember that dyarchy was a provincial experiment, not the source of the federal list structure.