Residents' welfare association
Also called: RWA · Topic: Civil Society, Pressure Groups, NGOs and Self-help Groups · NCERT: Class 6, Ch 9 "Family and Community"; Class 7, Ch 6 "The State, the Government, and You"
Meaning
A residents' welfare association (RWA) is a voluntary body formed by the people who live in a colony or apartment complex. It makes shared rules on things like waste, common areas and pets. It is a simple, everyday form of civil society, where neighbours handle common problems together. An RWA depends on others to work, such as traders and municipal workers. RWAs also show the limits of civil society. They can shut outsiders out of gated colonies, and they often reflect a middle-class bias.
Example
An RWA might decide that every household must separate wet and dry waste. It might also fix rules for pets in the shared park. It would then work with municipal workers to make sure the waste is collected.
Don't confuse with
- Municipality: a municipality is an elected local government with powers given by law. An RWA is a private voluntary body and cannot enforce laws.