RWA




The interest of the residents of certain suburban and urban locality in Indian cities is represented by A Resident Welfare Association (RWA). It is voluntary to become a member, and the leaders are elected usually by fee-paying members. RWAs is not a government body, whether state or central, and it can be formed even by slums and illegal housing localities to represent interest of Indian citizens. To get registered under the co-operative societies act, a RWA needs to have at least fifteen members from a given area.

Rules for RWAs bye laws are also established under this act. The laws covers areas like voting rights, membership criteria, and the conditions that are required to initiate legal proceedings by the RWAs. Even though, RWAs is not a government body in any form, and represent unauthorized colonies, but still it plays an important role in making government decisions. It plays a major role in municipal politics and its importance is still growing.

Bhagidari System

To give impetus to broad based civic participation in local governance, the government of the state of Delhi has started the Bhagidari System. The basic objective of the government is to create accountability and transparency in administration to provide better delivery, efficiency and quality of public services. In December 1998, the newly elected chief minister of Delhi, Shiela Dixit, anounced the initiation of this project.

The program was launched with mixed results in 2003, in the waste management area. With the objective to facilitate government-citizen co-ordination, specific bhagidars are created by Bhagidari, to take part in the scheme. Bhagidars include industrial and market associations, central and state government departments operating in the capital, bureaucrats across the municipal, and Resident Welfare Association (RWAs) property owners only can become members. 2005 UN Public Service Award was won by Bhagidari.

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