The Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms led to the passing of the Government of India Act, 1919. At the provincial level, for the executive was introduced:

(i) Dyarchy, i.e., rule of two —executive councillors and popular ministers — was introduced. The Governor was to be the executive head in the province.

(ii) The Subjects were divided into two lists: ‘reserved’ which included subjects such as law and order, finance, land revenue, irrigation, etc., and ‘transferred’ subjects such as education, health, local government, industry, agriculture, excise, etc. The reserved subjects were to be administered by the Governor through his Executive Council of Bureaucrats and the transferred subjects were to be administered by ministers nominated from among the elected members of the Legislative Council.

(iii) The ministers were to be responsible to the legislature and had to resign if a No-Confidence Motion was passed against them by the legislature, while the executive councillors were not to be responsible to the legislature.

(iv) In case of failure of the constitutional machinery in the province, the Governor could take over the administration of transferred subjects also.

(v) The Secretary of State for India and the Governor General could interfere in respect of reserved subjects, while in respect of the transferred subjects; the scope for their interference was restricted.