Civil society and resident welfare bodies reiterate demand for constitutional recognition, Demand due recognition for contribution to society on the occasion of National RWA Day
Every year the 23rd of November is celebrated by the Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) across the country in a big way. It is customary to organise a national conference of RWAs (NCRWA) around this date every year.
But owing to the prevailing COVID19 pandemic, this year the Meeting was held as a Webinar, organised by the Confederation of RWAs (CoRWA), in coordination with several state Federations and other related service organisations.
Dr. Rao VB J Chelikni, President presided over the meeting while Col.T.P.Tyagi, Vir Chakra, was the Convener and Dr. KSR Murthy, Secretary General of CoRWA coordinated the Program.
At the outset, RWAs expressed immense joy
for the progress made by RWA Mission in the country under the umbrella of CoRWA
ever since it was formed in the year 2012.
However, RWAs lamented that the services
carried out by them are not duly recognised. RWAs, which should actually form
the fourth tier of local governance, are mostly used as curry leaves by the
government.
In times of their necessity, RWAs are
approached for help by local civic bodies, but when it comes to solving the
civic issues of RWAs, they always keep a deaf ear. Some members expressed that
RWA expertise and guidance was ignored in effectively handling the COVID19
Pandemic, in cities like Delhi. RWAs are also facing acute financial crisis
since they have not been allotted any funds by civic bodies and they were never
made members of the local governing body. RWAs are mostly managing on
self-financing method to solve their local issues. As far back as 2016, the
Hon’ble Minister of Urban Affairs, Sri Hardeep Singh Puri announced in one of
the NCRWAs of CoRWA, that RWAs deserve to be given constitutional recognition,
but no action was initiated to this date.
The following resolutions/decisions were
taken in the meeting of RWAs:
- Constitutional recognition for RWAs must be pursued with vigour both at State and Central level.
- RWAs should encroach upon the powers of the civic bodies, as they
duly deserve.
- RWA
representation must be ensured in the local ward committees of the civic
bodies.
- District
wise summarised list of issues has to be brought to the notice of the
Chief Minister of every State regularly by the respective CoRWA local
Bodies.
- More and
more youth and women should be encouraged to participate in RWA
activities.
- A uniform
organisational structure of RWAs should be adopted in all states.
- Sincere
and hardworking RWA members should be properly identified and rewarded.
- A Uniform
code of democratically conducting elections to the RWA bodies must be
drafted and circulated.
Dr.K.S.R.Murthy,
Secretary General, CoRWA, Visakhapatnam
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