SENAPATI, May 6: In a sweeping move to bolster national preparedness following the deadly Pahalgam attack, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has ordered all States and Union Territories to conduct nationwide mock drills on May 7. The exercise is aimed at evaluating civil defence readiness across the country and will take place in all 244 designated Civil Defence Districts.
According to an official communication from the MHA, the directive is issued under Section 19 of the Civil Defence Rules, 1968. It follows an earlier advisory released on May 2 emphasizing the need to strengthen civil defence mechanisms in vulnerable regions.
The upcoming exercise will see extensive participation from District Controllers, local authorities, Civil Defence Wardens and Volunteers, Home Guard personnel—both active and reservists—as well as members of the National Cadet Corps (NCC), National Service Scheme (NSS), Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS), and students from educational institutions across the country.
Designed to test operational efficiency and inter-agency coordination, the drills will encompass a variety of preparedness and response activities. These include the assessment of air raid warning systems, activation of hotline and radio links with the Indian Air Force, and testing the functionality of both primary and backup (shadow) control rooms. Civilians and students will also receive training on protective measures in the event of hostile attacks.
Additional elements of the drill involve crash blackout procedures, camouflaging of vital installations, firefighting, rescue operations, and evaluation of evacuation protocols.
All States and Union Territories have been instructed to ensure the full participation of the relevant stakeholders and submit a detailed action-taken report to the Directorate General of Fire Service, Civil Defence & Home Guards as soon as possible.
The last such nationwide civil defence exercise was conducted in 1971—the same year India and Pakistan engaged in a war on two fronts.
The renewed urgency for civil defence preparedness comes in the wake of the April 22 terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which resulted in 26 fatalities. The assault has been attributed to Pakistan-backed terrorist groups, exacerbating already tense India-Pakistan relations.
