(a) Federal Legislature
(b) Governor General
(c) Provincial Legislature
(d) Provincial Governors
- Answer: (b)
Option (b) is correct: The Government of India Act of 1935 provided for the establishment of an All-India Federation consisting of Provinces and Princely States as units. The Act divided the powers between the Centre and units in terms of three lists, Federal List (for Centre, with 59 items), Provincial List (for provinces, with 54 items) and the Concurrent List (for both, with 36 items). Residuary powers were given to the Governor General. The Government of India Act of 1935 abolished dyarchy in the provinces and introduced ‘provincial autonomy’ in its place and introduced bicameralism in six out of eleven provinces. Thus, the legislatures of Bengal, Bombay, Madras, Bihar, Assam and the United Provinces were made bicameral consisting of a legislative council (upper house) and a legislative assembly (lower house), further extended the principle of communal representation by providing separate electorates for depressed classes (scheduled castes), women and labour (workers). It abolished the Council of India, established by the Government of India Act of 1858. The secretary of state for India was provided with a team of advisors. It provided for the establishment of a Reserve Bank of India to control the currency and credit of the country and provided for the establishment of not only a Federal Public Service Commission but also a Provincial Public Service Commission and Joint Public Service Commission for two or more provinces.
