Local government is the lowest level of public government that functions within a state of India. The entire Indian government can be broadly categorised into the central, state and local government levels. Local governments remain under the jurisdiction of the higher levels of state government and exercise the powers delegated to them by these higher authorities. They essentially manage the administration of the districts within a particular state. While local governments exist in both urban and rural areas, they are known as corporations or municipalities in urban areas and panchayats in rural areas. The panchayats can again be sub-divided into village panchayats, panchayat samities (intermediate level) and district panchayats. In case of urban areas, while cities and large towns have corporations headed by a mayor, smaller towns are administered by municipalities. At the rural level, panchayats are vested with administrative as well as judicial powers, but to a limited extent. Hide this