Explanation:

Earlier this month, the Assam Cabinet announced that Gaon Buras (village headman), village-level functionaries of the district administration, will henceforth be called ‘Gaon Pradhans’. While it is yet to be notified, the move has been criticised by several in Assam as an imposition on the culture and language of the state.

=> The institution of Gaon Bura in Assam dates back to the colonial era, when the British appointed the oldest person in the village as the head, who would oversee matters relating to land and revenue in a particular area.