Question

 

By which one of the following Acts was the Governor General of Bengal designated as the Governor General of India?

 

A. The Regulating Act

B. The Pitt’s India Act

C. The Charter Act of 1793

D. The Charter Act of 1833

 

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Answer 

 

The correct answer is D. The Charter Act of 1833

 

The Charter Act of 1833 brought significant provisions that reshaped British governance in India:

 

1. The Governor-General of Bengal was re-designated as the Governor-General of India, establishing Lord William Bentinck as the first Governor-General of India. This consolidated the administration under a single authority.

2. The Governors of Bombay and Madras lost their legislative powers, and the Governor-General gained legislative authority over all of British India.

3. The Governor-General in council was granted the power to amend, repeal, or alter any law applicable to all individuals and territories within British Indian territories, irrespective of their nationality.

4. The civil and military affairs of the East India Company were placed under the control of the Governor-General in council.

5. The Governor-General's council consisted of four members, with limited powers assigned to the fourth member.

6. The government of the Governor-General was officially termed the "Government of India," and the council was known as the India Council.

7. The act established the Indian Law Commission, headed by Lord Macaulay, to codify Indian laws and ensure their submission to the British Parliament as "Acts."

8. Although the act proposed dividing the Bengal Presidency into the Presidencies of Agra and Fort William, this division did not materialize.

9. The act allowed Indians to participate in the country's administration based on merit rather than birth, color, religion, or race.

10. Measures were taken to mitigate slavery in India, following the British Parliament's abolition of slavery in Britain and its territories in 1833.

11. To accommodate the increasing British population, the act permitted the presence of three Bishops in India and regulated the establishment of Christian institutions in the country.