Question

What are the provisions of the 1784 act?
A) It brought the affairs of the East India Company in India under the control of the British Government
B) A Board of control was created in London.
C) This act provided for a joint government of British India by both the company and the crown.
D) All of the above

Answer 1

Hint: The East India Company Act (EIC Act 1784), often known as Pitt's India Act, was enacted by the British Parliament to solve the deficiencies of the Regulating Act of 1773 by placing the East India Company's administration in India under British control. The act, named after British Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger, established a Board of Control.

Complete answer:
The provisions of the Act of 1784 are given below:
- The 1784 Act placed the business of the EIC in India under the supervision of the British government.
- Six members of the Board of Control were appointed in London, two from the British Cabinet and the rest from the Privy Council. The Board also had a president, who quickly rose to become the East India Company's minister of state.
- This Act established a joint government of British India that included both the Company and the Crown, with the government having final authority. [The Board was given the authority to supervise, direct, and oversee the government of the Company's possessions, effectively controlling the Company's civil, military, and revenue acts and operations.]
- The Governor General-in-Council [company's governing council] was reduced to three members [1+ 3], and the governor-general, who was a crown nominee, was given the power to veto majority decisions.

Therefore the correct answer is option ‘D’.

Note: Six Privy Counsellors, including a Secretary of State and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, were to be appointed "Commissioners for the Affairs of India" under the Act. Not surprisingly, three of them created a Board to carry out the Act's powers.