Assam Designates Gaon Panchayat Committees as Village Water and Sanitation Committees

Guwahati: The Assam government has designated the Social Welfare Committee of every Gaon Panchayat as the Village Water and Sanitation Committee (VWSC) to strengthen community participation and monitoring of rural drinking water and sanitation services. The move has been notified by the Panchayat and Rural Development Department under Rule 56A of the Assam Panchayat (Constitution) Rules, 1995.

The VWSC will be headed by the Gaon Panchayat President, with an elected woman member as Vice Chairperson and the Panchayat Secretary as Member Secretary. At least 50 per cent of members must be women, while the committees will monitor water supply, quality and reliability, address grievances and support water-quality testing. They will also conduct annual Jal Seva Aankalan and coordinate with Water Users’ Committees and relevant government departments, while the Gaon Panchayat will retain overall responsibility for water and sanitation services.