New Delhi, Feb. 10 -- Amid hundreds of pages in the Economic Survey 2025-26 devoted to India's growth trajectory, fiscal arithmetic and industrial ambitions, a small section flags a quieter but persistent economic drag on rural livelihoods: the steady erosion of village commons.

These commons-grazing lands, ponds and other community-managed resource-support the daily needs of millions of rural households and play a critical role in agriculture, water security and climate resilience. Yet they remain poorly mapped, weakly governed and vulnerable to encroachment and misuse.

Drawing on the Economic Survey and official data, Mint explains why reviving village commons is increasingly central to rural incomes, farm productivity and sustainable...