Consider the following statements: [Modern India]
1. The Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms of 1919 recommended granting voting rights to all the women above the age of 21.
2. The Government of India Act of 1935 gave women reserved seats in the legislature.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Answer: b
Explanation:
The Government of India Act, 1919 set up a bicameral legislature at the centre in place of the Imperial Council consisting of one House. The names of the two Houses were the Central Legislative Assembly and the Council of States.
Franchise for both Houses of the Central Legislature was very much restricted. The voting rights were restricted to the income tax payers & the municipal tax payers of certain amount, the rent receivers and the land revenue payers of a certain amount.
Hence, statement 1 is incorrect.
The Government of India Act, 1935 did not set up provincial legislatures of a uniform pattern. The six provinces of Assam, Bengal, Bihar, U.P, Madras and Bombay were given two Chambers each while the legislatures of the Punjab, Sind, North-Wetsern Frontier Province, Orissa and C.P had only one Chamber.
The Houses were named as the Provincial Legislative Assembly and the Provincial Legislative Council.
The seats in the various provinces were distributed according to the Communal Award as amended by the Poona Pact. Some seats were known as general seats out of which some were reserved for the Scheduled Castes. Separate representation on communal lines was given to the Muslims, Sikhs, Anglo-Indians, Europeans and the Christians. Some seats were reserved for commerce, industry, mining and planting, landholders, labours and universities. Out of seats exclusively reserved for women, some were given to the Hindus and the others to the Muslims, Sikhs, Anglo-Indians and Indian Christians.
Hence, statement 2 is correct.
Read: Previous Year UPSC History Questions (PYQs) With Explanation 2021