The education department of a certain region has required schools to self-assess and self-inspect their fire prevention work against the remaining acceptance criteria, submitting various work logs daily and monthly. In response to issues raised during inspections and rectifications, some local departments have been perfunctory and negligent, merely changing names and terms, and treating these as rectification results... In light of various forms of formalism, a recent meeting of the central-level mechanism for rectifying formalism and reducing burdens on the grassroots emphasized that local party committees at all levels must fulfill their primary responsibilities and come up with more practical and effective measures.

To reduce the burden on grassroots levels by rectifying formalism, the relationship between power and responsibility must be clarified. Main leaders should bravely take responsibility, and all parties must clearly define the boundaries of power and responsibility. Local party and government leaders, especially the top leaders, should immerse themselves in the grassroots, truly understanding the pains, thoughts, and expectations of grassroots cadres and the masses, and must not deceive the central authorities or merely cope with the grassroots. It is necessary to establish and improve a list of responsibilities, so that higher-level departments know "where their hands should reach," and grassroots cadres understand "which burdens to shoulder, what tasks to perform, and what responsibilities to bear."

To reduce the burden on grassroots levels by rectifying formalism, we must be vigilant against the "smoke and mirrors" of superficial rectification. Some party members and cadres use new terms like "multi-dimensional empowerment" and "kinetic energy conversion" to embellish their facade, attempting to muddle through the rectification process. In reality, they lack targeted thinking about the actual situation and motivation to solve problems raised by the masses, treating path dependency as a lifeline and false views on political achievements as political wisdom. We must eliminate the wordplay of old wine in new bottles, implement more substantive measures, reduce flashy but ineffective materials, squeeze out the fluff from language, and create space for real action.

Addressing formalism to reduce the burden on grassroots levels requires thoughtful consideration on how to delegate power and empower. In some areas, grassroots cadres are subjected to numerous assessment items, focusing on "materials" and "traces," with indicators layered and nested, overly complex yet lacking in guiding function. Optimizing the assessment system for grassroots levels should start from accurately, precisely, and practically assessing, to motivate party members and cadres to take responsibility and act, thereby relieving their burdens. It is essential to persistently promote the empowerment of institutional guarantees through technological means, explore "one-table sharing," break through data channels across departments and levels, to achieve resource coordination and efficiency enhancement.

To relieve the grassroots of unnecessary burdens, stimulate the drive to act freely, eliminate the superficial formalities, and promote a culture of seeking truth and pragmatism, we can achieve a dual enhancement of reducing burdens at the grassroots level and improving governance efficiency, thereby transforming real and practical measures into developmental outcomes.

整治形式主义！