The Hindu Editorial • July 02, 2026 • Read Original

Yes and no: On the erosion of India’s grassroots democracy

Gram sabhas must have the right to give or withhold consent

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Analysis of editorial from The Hindu newspaper on July 02, 2026

Yes and no: On the erosion of India’s grassroots democracy

Gram sabhas must have the right to give or withhold consent

Grassroots DemocracyGram Sabha73rd AmendmentPESA ActPanchayati RajRural Development

Sentences

Sentence 1 of 20

English Original

A new report, based on Rural Development Ministry surveys, opens a rare data-backed window into the erosion of India’s grassroots democracy.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

A new report, based on Rural Development Ministry ,

A recently published official document that is created using research conducted by the government’s rural department

Part 2

opens

provides or makes available

Part 3

a rare window

an uncommon opportunity to see facts clearly using statistics and evidence rather than assumptions

Part 4

into the of India’s

regarding how local self-governance in Indian villages is slowly being destroyed or weakened

Context and Background

Ministry of Rural Development

The Ministry of Rural Development is a branch of the Government of India responsible for the socio-economic development of rural India. It oversees key national schemes such as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and programs aimed at improving rural infrastructure, housing, and livelihood security.

Sentence 2 of 20

English Original

But where the state has framed the issue as one of “vibrancy”, the report highlights a paradox.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

But

However / on the other hand

Part 2

where the state has the issue as one of “”

in the situation where the government describes the problem as merely a lack of active participation and energy

Part 3

the report

the document based on Rural Development surveys

Part 4

highlights

draws attention to or points out

Part 5

a situation that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth

Sentence 3 of 20

English Original

It acknowledges that “participation fatigue” has kept citizens from engaging in gram sabhas whereas its solutions, such as more meetings and oversight, are a recipe to further alienate the rural working class.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

The new report from the ministry

Part 2

acknowledges

accepts or admits the truth of something

Part 3

that “” has kept citizens from in

the fact that people are tired of attending meetings that do not produce results, which stops them from taking part in village council discussions

Part 4

whereas its solutions, such as more meetings and , are a further the rural

while the report’s recommendations (like holding more sessions and checking them strictly) will actually push poor villagers away because they cannot afford to lose work time

Sentence 4 of 20

English Original

The 73rd Amendment empowers gram sabhas, but governments have reduced them to clearinghouses for central and State schemes.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

The 73rd Amendment

The 1992 constitutional change in India that created the modern local village government system

Part 2

empowers

gives legal authority or power to

Part 3

gram sabhas

the village councils composed of all local voters

Part 4

but

however / on the contrary

Part 5

governments

the state and central political authorities

Part 6

have reduced

have downgraded or lowered in status

Part 7

them

the gram sabhas

Part 8

to for central and State

into mere agencies whose only job is to approve list of names and allocate funds for programs made in Delhi or state capitals, rather than planning their own work

Context and Background

The 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act

Passed in 1992 and coming into effect in April 1993, the 73rd Amendment Act added Part IX to the Constitution of India, establishing a uniform three-tier Panchayati Raj system. It constitutionally recognized the Gram Sabha (village assembly) as the foundation of this system, intended to perform functions and exercise powers at the village level as decided by state legislatures, thereby institutionalizing direct democracy at the grassroots.

Sentence 5 of 20

English Original

This fundamental aspect must change.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

This aspect

This core practice of reducing local assemblies to mere scheme approvers

Part 2

must change

is required to become different

Sentence 6 of 20

English Original

However, in response to 18%-28% of respondents citing a lack of outcomes as the reason for low interest, the report pushes for greater use of the NIRNAY app and to upload meeting minutes in real-time.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

However,

On the other hand / nevertheless

Part 2

in response to 18%-28% of a lack of as the reason for low interest

answering the fact that about one-fourth of surveyed villagers said they do not attend meetings because nothing useful ever happens

Part 3

the report

the government survey document

Part 4

pushes for

demands or strongly recommends

Part 5

greater use of the NIRNAY app and to upload in

using the new digital application more, and putting the records of discussions online immediately

Context and Background

Panchayat NIRNAY App

The Panchayat NIRNAY (National Initiative for Rural India to Navigate, InnovAte and Resolve PanchaYat decisions) mobile app is a digital initiative launched by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj. Designed under the e-Panchayat Mission Mode Project, it allows for recording, uploading photos and videos of Gram Sabha proceedings, and tracking resolutions in real-time to bring transparency and resolve disputes regarding local decisions.

Sentence 7 of 20

English Original

In the real world, panchayat secretaries thus have less time facilitating discussion even as lacklustre oversight has allowed officials to tell workers that their MGNREGA demands were ‘not entered in the system’ due to server errors.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

In the real world,

In practical everyday life on the ground, as opposed to theories or plans

Part 2

panchayat secretaries

the administrative officers responsible for maintaining panchayat records and executing decisions

Part 3

thus

therefore / as a result of this digital burden

Part 4

have

possess or hold

Part 5

less time

a smaller amount of time than required

Part 6

discussion

helping people talk and share ideas during meetings

Part 7

even as has allowed officials to tell workers that their demands were ‘not entered in the system’ due to server errors

while at the same time, poor supervision means government officers can easily make excuses to labourers that technical computer problems prevented their employment requests from being saved

Sentence 8 of 20

English Original

Similarly, that more than half of the barriers to participation are related to livelihoods could point as much to visibly systemic issues (such as the precarious nature of rural labour today) as to deliberate economic exclusion by the state, as scholars have highlighted.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

Similarly,

In the same way / likewise

Part 2

that more than half of the to participation are related to

the fact that over 50 percent of the obstacles stopping citizens from attending meetings are linked to their daily earning needs

Part 3

could point

might indicate or suggest

Part 4

as much to visibly issues (such as the nature of rural labour today) as to economic by the state,

equally to obvious deep-rooted problems (like how unstable and risky village work has become) and to purposeful actions by the government to keep poor people out of the economy

Part 5

as have

just like academic researchers have pointed out in their studies

Sentence 9 of 20

English Original

But the report does not acknowledge such divergent possibilities.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

But

However / nevertheless

Part 2

the report

the study document under discussion

Part 3

does not acknowledge

refuses to recognize or admit

Part 4

such

different and contrasting potential explanations (systemic versus deliberate exclusion)

Sentence 10 of 20

English Original

Due to the state failing to institutionalise attendance as a paid component of social protection, gram sabhas have remained a playground for the leisured elite such as landlords and contractors.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

Due to the state failing to attendance as a paid of ,

because the government did not make attending the village meeting a paid activity (like wage labour) under welfare schemes

Part 2

gram sabhas

the village general body meetings

Part 3

have remained

have continued to be in a particular state

Part 4

a for the such as landlords and contractors

a place dominated and controlled only by wealthy people (like landholders and business operators) who have free time to spare without losing wages

Sentence 11 of 20

English Original

According to the report, gram sabhas spend 13% of the time identifying local issues but only 4% discussing revenue generation.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

According to the report,

As stated or documented in the study findings

Part 2

gram sabhas

the village councils

Part 3

spend

use or allocate time for an activity

Part 4

13% of the time

about one-eighth of their meeting duration

Part 5

local issues

finding and listing the problems faced by the villagers

Part 6

but

however / on the contrary

Part 7

only 4%

a very small fraction of their meeting duration

Part 8

discussing

talking about how to earn money locally through taxes or other means to fund village work

Sentence 12 of 20

English Original

But gram panchayats have been systematically constrained from raising their taxes, leaving them dependent on grants.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

But

However / on the other hand

Part 2

gram panchayats

the village-level local governments

Part 3

have been

have been continuously and purposely restricted or limited by higher authorities

Part 4

from raising their taxes,

from increasing or collecting local duties from residents

Part 5

leaving them on

making them rely completely on funds given by central and state governments

Sentence 13 of 20

English Original

The 14th and 15th Finance Commissions grants tied panchayat spending to central priorities such as drinking water and sanitation, limiting local priorities to ‘flagship’ programmes such as the Jal Jeevan Mission and Swachh Bharat.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

The 14th and 15th Finance Commissions grants

The financial allocations recommended by India’s 14th and 15th constitutional bodies that decide how tax revenues are divided between central and state governments

Part 2

tied

connected or linked directly, restricting any independent choices

Part 3

panchayat spending

how the village councils spend their allocated money

Part 4

to central such as drinking water and ,

to the targets set by the central government, specifically clean water supply and public cleanliness systems

Part 5

local priorities to ‘’ programmes such as the Jal Jeevan Mission and Swachh Bharat

forcing the local village planning to focus only on major national welfare campaigns like the clean water initiative and the clean India campaign

Context and Background

Finance Commission & Tied Grants

The Finance Commission of India is a constitutional body established under Article 280 to recommend the division of tax revenues between the Union and the States, and to suggest principles for grants-in-aid to local bodies. In recent years, particularly under the 14th and 15th Finance Commissions, a significant portion of grants to Panchayats was classified as ‘tied grants,’ meaning the funds could only be spent on specific sectors mandated by the Centre, notably drinking water, rainwater harvesting, and sanitation, which critics argue undermines local self-governance.

Sentence 14 of 20

English Original

There is thus no incentive for citizens to attend a meeting if the funds are being earmarked by Delhi bureaucrats.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

There is

exists

Part 2

thus

therefore / as a consequence

Part 3

no for citizens to attend a meeting

no motivation or benefit for villagers to spend their day sitting in assembly sessions

Part 4

if the funds are being by Delhi

in the event that all the expenditures and money are already decided and locked by government administrators in the national capital

Sentence 15 of 20

English Original

The report also states that Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) (PESA) Act areas have “reasonably strong physical infrastructure”.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

The report

the research paper on rural governance

Part 2

also

in addition / furthermore

Part 3

states

expresses or writes formally

Part 4

that Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) (PESA) Act areas have “ strong physical ”

the fact that the tribal districts covered by the PESA law possess fairly good roads, buildings, and facilities

Context and Background

PESA Act, 1996

The Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA) is a central legislation that extends the provisions of Part IX of the Constitution (relating to Panchayats) to the Fifth Schedule Areas (tribal-dominated areas in ten states). It recognizes the traditional rights of tribal communities over local resources and mandates that Gram Sabhas must have veto power and control over major decisions, including land acquisition, mineral prospecting, and management of minor forest produce.

Sentence 16 of 20

English Original

Under the PESA Act 1996 and related forest rights laws, gram sabhas have the right to provide prior informed consent for land acquisition and mining.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

Under the PESA Act 1996 and related forest rights laws,

according to the legal provisions of the 1996 tribal self-governance act and forest protection rules

Part 2

gram sabhas

the local tribal village assemblies

Part 3

have

possess or hold

Part 4

the right to provide for land and mining

the legal power to agree or disagree beforehand to any government plans to take their land or start digging for minerals

Sentence 17 of 20

English Original

However, the state routinely bypasses them or uses the excuse of low participation to manufacture consent.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

However,

On the other hand / nevertheless

Part 2

the state

the government authorities and administrators

Part 3

regularly ignores or avoids dealing with the assemblies

Part 4

them

the gram sabhas

Part 5

alternatively

Part 6

uses

makes use of or employs

Part 7

the of low participation

the pretext that not enough villagers attended the meetings

Part 8

to artificially create the appearance of agreement or approval, often through manipulation or forgery

Sentence 18 of 20

English Original

The Hasdeo Arand protests were rooted in this issue.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

The Hasdeo Arand protests

The long-standing environmental and indigenous tribal demonstrations against coal mining clearances in the Hasdeo forest region of Chhattisgarh

Part 2

were

had their origin or cause

Part 3

in this issue

in this exact problem of bypassing local village assembly approval

Context and Background

Hasdeo Arand Protests

Hasdeo Arand is one of the largest intact forest stretches in Central India, located in Chhattisgarh. It is home to diverse biodiversity and indigenous Gond tribal communities. The region has witnessed intense protests by local Gram Sabhas and environmental activists against coal block allocations and mining projects. The protests are rooted in allegations that mining clearances were obtained by forging Gram Sabha consent resolutions, thereby violating PESA and Forest Rights Act laws.

Sentence 19 of 20

English Original

There is a right to say ‘no’ and the state simply needs to acknowledge it.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

There is

exists

Part 2

a right to say ‘no’

the legal and moral entitlement of local communities to refuse consent for projects affecting their lands

Part 3

and

furthermore / in addition

Part 4

the state

the government

Part 5

simply

merely / without making complications

Part 6

needs

requires or is obligated

Part 7

to it

to recognize and respect this veto power

Sentence 20 of 20

English Original

If ‘yes’ must be the only answer, the report’s grouses are a farce.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

If ‘yes’ must be the only answer,

in the event that the government expects the village councils to always agree and never reject projects

Part 2

the report’s

the complaints and concerns raised in the ministry’s document about low participation

Part 3

are

exist as

Part 4

a ridiculous sham or mockery, lacking any real meaning or sincerity

Sentence 1 of 20

Sentences Breakdown

Editorial Summary

5-Point Summary

1 A new report based on Rural Development Ministry surveys highlights the erosion of grassroots democracy in India, noting a paradox between the state’s focus on vibrancy and actual rural alienation.
2 Although the 73rd Amendment empowers gram sabhas, governments have reduced them to mere clearinghouses for central and State schemes.
3 The report’s solutions, like pushing the NIRNAY app and real-time uploads of meeting minutes, burden secretaries and fail to address the lack of actual outcomes.
4 Financial constraints and tied grants from Finance Commissions have restricted the autonomy of gram panchayats, leaving them dependent on central priorities.
5 In PESA areas, the state routinely bypasses the prior informed consent of gram sabhas for mining and land acquisition, highlighting the need to respect their right to say no.

Tone of the Editorial

Critical

Why this tone?

The editorial adopts a critical tone towards the government’s approach to rural self-governance. It highlights a paradox where the state promotes digital solutions like the NIRNAY app under the banner of vibrancy, while systematically undermining the actual financial and decision-making power of gram sabhas, especially in resource-rich tribal areas where local consent is routinely bypassed.

Sentence 1 of 20

A new report, based on Rural Development Ministry surveys, opens a rare data-backed window into the erosion of India’s grassroots democracy.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

A new report, based on Rural Development Ministry surveys,

A recently published official document that is created using research conducted by the government’s rural department

Part 2

opens

provides or makes available

Part 3

a rare data-backed window

an uncommon opportunity to see facts clearly using statistics and evidence rather than assumptions

Part 4

into the erosion of India’s grassroots democracy

regarding how local self-governance in Indian villages is slowly being destroyed or weakened

Sentence 2 of 20

But where the state has framed the issue as one of “vibrancy”, the report highlights a paradox.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

But

However / on the other hand

Part 2

where the state has framed the issue as one of “vibrancy”

in the situation where the government describes the problem as merely a lack of active participation and energy

Part 3

the report

the document based on Rural Development surveys

Part 4

highlights

draws attention to or points out

Part 5

a paradox

a situation that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth

Sentence 3 of 20

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

The new report from the ministry

Part 2

acknowledges

accepts or admits the truth of something

Part 3

that “participation fatigue” has kept citizens from engaging in gram sabhas

the fact that people are tired of attending meetings that do not produce results, which stops them from taking part in village council discussions

Part 4

whereas its solutions, such as more meetings and oversight, are a recipe to further alienate the rural working class

while the report’s recommendations (like holding more sessions and checking them strictly) will actually push poor villagers away because they cannot afford to lose work time

Sentence 4 of 20

The 73rd Amendment empowers gram sabhas, but governments have reduced them to clearinghouses for central and State schemes.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

The 73rd Amendment

The 1992 constitutional change in India that created the modern local village government system

Part 2

empowers

gives legal authority or power to

Part 3

gram sabhas

the village councils composed of all local voters

Part 4

but

however / on the contrary

Part 5

governments

the state and central political authorities

Part 6

have reduced

have downgraded or lowered in status

Part 7

them

the gram sabhas

Part 8

to clearinghouses for central and State schemes

into mere agencies whose only job is to approve list of names and allocate funds for programs made in Delhi or state capitals, rather than planning their own work

Sentence 5 of 20

This fundamental aspect must change.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

This fundamental aspect

This core practice of reducing local assemblies to mere scheme approvers

Part 2

must change

is required to become different

Sentence 6 of 20

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

However,

On the other hand / nevertheless

Part 2

in response to 18%-28% of respondents citing a lack of outcomes as the reason for low interest

answering the fact that about one-fourth of surveyed villagers said they do not attend meetings because nothing useful ever happens

Part 3

the report

the government survey document

Part 4

pushes for

demands or strongly recommends

Part 5

greater use of the NIRNAY app and to upload meeting minutes in real-time

using the new digital application more, and putting the records of discussions online immediately

Sentence 7 of 20

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

In the real world,

In practical everyday life on the ground, as opposed to theories or plans

Part 2

panchayat secretaries

the administrative officers responsible for maintaining panchayat records and executing decisions

Part 3

thus

therefore / as a result of this digital burden

Part 4

have

possess or hold

Part 5

less time

a smaller amount of time than required

Part 6

facilitating discussion

helping people talk and share ideas during meetings

Part 7

even as lacklustre oversight has allowed officials to tell workers that their MGNREGA demands were ‘not entered in the system’ due to server errors

while at the same time, poor supervision means government officers can easily make excuses to labourers that technical computer problems prevented their employment requests from being saved

Sentence 8 of 20

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

Similarly,

In the same way / likewise

Part 2

that more than half of the barriers to participation are related to livelihoods

the fact that over 50 percent of the obstacles stopping citizens from attending meetings are linked to their daily earning needs

Part 3

could point

might indicate or suggest

Part 4

as much to visibly systemic issues (such as the precarious nature of rural labour today) as to deliberate economic exclusion by the state,

equally to obvious deep-rooted problems (like how unstable and risky village work has become) and to purposeful actions by the government to keep poor people out of the economy

Part 5

as scholars have highlighted

just like academic researchers have pointed out in their studies

Sentence 9 of 20

But the report does not acknowledge such divergent possibilities.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

But

However / nevertheless

Part 2

the report

the study document under discussion

Part 3

does not acknowledge

refuses to recognize or admit

Part 4

such divergent possibilities

different and contrasting potential explanations (systemic versus deliberate exclusion)

Sentence 10 of 20

Due to the state failing to institutionalise attendance as a paid component of social protection, gram sabhas have remained a playground for the leisured elite such as landlords and contractors.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

Due to the state failing to institutionalise attendance as a paid component of social protection,

because the government did not make attending the village meeting a paid activity (like wage labour) under welfare schemes

Part 2

gram sabhas

the village general body meetings

Part 3

have remained

have continued to be in a particular state

Part 4

a playground for the leisured elite such as landlords and contractors

a place dominated and controlled only by wealthy people (like landholders and business operators) who have free time to spare without losing wages

Sentence 11 of 20

According to the report, gram sabhas spend 13% of the time identifying local issues but only 4% discussing revenue generation.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

According to the report,

As stated or documented in the study findings

Part 2

gram sabhas

the village councils

Part 3

spend

use or allocate time for an activity

Part 4

13% of the time

about one-eighth of their meeting duration

Part 5

identifying local issues

finding and listing the problems faced by the villagers

Part 6

but

however / on the contrary

Part 7

only 4%

a very small fraction of their meeting duration

Part 8

discussing revenue generation

talking about how to earn money locally through taxes or other means to fund village work

Sentence 12 of 20

But gram panchayats have been systematically constrained from raising their taxes, leaving them dependent on grants.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

But

However / on the other hand

Part 2

gram panchayats

the village-level local governments

Part 3

have been systematically constrained

have been continuously and purposely restricted or limited by higher authorities

Part 4

from raising their taxes,

from increasing or collecting local duties from residents

Part 5

leaving them dependent on grants

making them rely completely on funds given by central and state governments

Sentence 13 of 20

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

The 14th and 15th Finance Commissions grants

The financial allocations recommended by India’s 14th and 15th constitutional bodies that decide how tax revenues are divided between central and state governments

Part 2

tied

connected or linked directly, restricting any independent choices

Part 3

panchayat spending

how the village councils spend their allocated money

Part 4

to central priorities such as drinking water and sanitation,

to the targets set by the central government, specifically clean water supply and public cleanliness systems

Part 5

limiting local priorities to ‘flagship’ programmes such as the Jal Jeevan Mission and Swachh Bharat

forcing the local village planning to focus only on major national welfare campaigns like the clean water initiative and the clean India campaign

Sentence 14 of 20

There is thus no incentive for citizens to attend a meeting if the funds are being earmarked by Delhi bureaucrats.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

There is

exists

Part 2

thus

therefore / as a consequence

Part 3

no incentive for citizens to attend a meeting

no motivation or benefit for villagers to spend their day sitting in assembly sessions

Part 4

if the funds are being earmarked by Delhi bureaucrats

in the event that all the expenditures and money are already decided and locked by government administrators in the national capital

Sentence 15 of 20

The report also states that Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) (PESA) Act areas have “reasonably strong physical infrastructure”.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

The report

the research paper on rural governance

Part 2

also

in addition / furthermore

Part 3

states

expresses or writes formally

Part 4

that Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) (PESA) Act areas have “reasonably strong physical infrastructure”

the fact that the tribal districts covered by the PESA law possess fairly good roads, buildings, and facilities

Sentence 16 of 20

Under the PESA Act 1996 and related forest rights laws, gram sabhas have the right to provide prior informed consent for land acquisition and mining.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

Under the PESA Act 1996 and related forest rights laws,

according to the legal provisions of the 1996 tribal self-governance act and forest protection rules

Part 2

gram sabhas

the local tribal village assemblies

Part 3

have

possess or hold

Part 4

the right to provide prior informed consent for land acquisition and mining

the legal power to agree or disagree beforehand to any government plans to take their land or start digging for minerals

Sentence 17 of 20

However, the state routinely bypasses them or uses the excuse of low participation to manufacture consent.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

However,

On the other hand / nevertheless

Part 2

the state

the government authorities and administrators

Part 3

routinely bypasses

regularly ignores or avoids dealing with the assemblies

Part 4

them

the gram sabhas

Part 5

alternatively

Part 6

uses

makes use of or employs

Part 7

the excuse of low participation

the pretext that not enough villagers attended the meetings

Part 8

to manufacture consent

to artificially create the appearance of agreement or approval, often through manipulation or forgery

Sentence 18 of 20

The Hasdeo Arand protests were rooted in this issue.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

The Hasdeo Arand protests

The long-standing environmental and indigenous tribal demonstrations against coal mining clearances in the Hasdeo forest region of Chhattisgarh

Part 2

were rooted

had their origin or cause

Part 3

in this issue

in this exact problem of bypassing local village assembly approval

Sentence 19 of 20

There is a right to say ‘no’ and the state simply needs to acknowledge it.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

There is

exists

Part 2

a right to say ‘no’

the legal and moral entitlement of local communities to refuse consent for projects affecting their lands

Part 3

and

furthermore / in addition

Part 4

the state

the government

Part 5

simply

merely / without making complications

Part 6

needs

requires or is obligated

Part 7

to acknowledge it

to recognize and respect this veto power

Sentence 20 of 20

If ‘yes’ must be the only answer, the report’s grouses are a farce.

Sentence Breakdown

Part 1

If ‘yes’ must be the only answer,

in the event that the government expects the village councils to always agree and never reject projects

Part 2

the report’s grouses

the complaints and concerns raised in the ministry’s document about low participation

Part 3

are

exist as

Part 4

a farce

a ridiculous sham or mockery, lacking any real meaning or sincerity

Reading Comprehension

Practice questions based on this editorial

Reading Comprehension - Yes and no: On the erosion of India’s grassroots democracy

Practice reading comprehension questions based on the editorial about the erosion of grassroots democracy in India, the PESA Act, and the NIRNAY app.

5 Questions Passing: 70%

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Challenging Vocabulary 131 Idioms and Phrases 80 Phrasal Verbs 42

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Yes and no: On the erosion of India’s grassroots democracy

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