Social Science (087) — AI-generated practice question

The justification for decentralisation was that local people have better knowledge of local problems, can participate directly in decision-making, and can manage resources more efficiently — making local self-government meaningful. However, if gram sabhas are not held regularly, ordinary citizens lose their direct role in approving budgets and reviewing panchayat performance. If state governments do not transfer significant powers or adequate resources to local bodies, these bodies remain powerless. This defeats the very purpose of decentralisation — genuine self-governance at the grassroots — reducing the third tier to a mere formality rather than real democratic participation.

Source: Decentralisation in India, Chapter 2

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Examiners expect you to:

1. State the logic/rationale of decentralisation (local knowledge, direct participation, efficient management).
2. Show the contradiction — without regular gram sabhas and transferred powers/resources, that logic fails completely.
3. Use textbook phrases like "local self-government," "direct participation," and "adequate resources."

Avoid writing vague generalities. Link the reason for decentralisation directly to the gap in practice — that contrast is the core of the answer.