Gram Panchayats are local self-governments at the village or small town level in India, and the Sarpanch is in charge of it. Under British Colonial rule role of Panchayats were strengthened. Whereas under the post-independence they were given little right of co-determination. After attempts to deal with matters on the national level panchayats where reintroduced as institutions of local self-governance in 1992. As of 2002 there were about 265,000gram panchayats in India. The gram panchayat is the foundation of the Panchayat System.
