A resident welfare association (frequently abbreviated as RWA) is a civic body that represents the interests of the residents of a specific urban or suburban locality in Indian cities. Membership is voluntary, and the leadership is usually elected by fee-paying members. Members who do not pay the voluntary subsrcription fee in any year may not vote in the general body and other meetings of the association since they would be deemed as having opted out of the membership of the voluntary association. In some localities such association bear the word 'Development" in their nomenclature such as development and welfare association.