Indian Constitutional Reforms.Government of India’s despatch of March 5th 1919 and Connected Papers.First Despatch on Indian Consitutional Reforms

They welcomed its proposals as a real and substantial step towards the progressive realistion of responsible government in the provinces and the modifications which they urged were with the exception of those affecting the Government of India concerned with the details rather than the essentials of the scheme. [...] Both parties agree in urging that changes giving some measure of popular control should be introduced into the Government of India from the outset : and that the Government of India acting under the control of the legislature should enjoy the same power of regulating the fiscal policy of this country as the governments of the self-governing Dominions. [...] The policy announEssential Reportfeatures of the ed in August 1917 means the gradual transfer of control from Parliament to legislatures in India and the gradual replacement of the nominated governments now in office by governments of the representative type: The main proposal in the Report is that this change shall be effected by a process Jerf dividing the sphere of government.in the provi [...] After preliminary discussion under the chairmanship of Lord Ronalshay five out of the seven Heads of provinces who were present namely the Lieutenant-Governors of the Punjab the United Provinces and Burma and the Chief Commissioners of the Central Provinces and Assam agreed upon certain proposals which are formulated in the minute of January 15 1919 which we enclose. [...] In the matter of supply the majority minute proposes that the legislature should vote the budget but that the Governor in Council should have power to restore the originaiprovision in circumstances covered by the terms of section 50 of the Government of India Act 1915.