NEW DELHI: Amid heightened tensions with Pakistan following the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22, the Indian government is ramping up civil defence preparedness across the country.Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan has convened a crucial meeting on Tuesday with the chief secretaries of all states and Union Territories (UTs) to review measures and finalise protocols for a massive nationwide civil defence mock drill.According to officials, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued an advisory on Monday directing all states and UTs to conduct coordinated civil defence exercises on May 7. These drills will cover all of India’s 244 designated civil defence districts, many of which have been identified as vulnerable to various threats, including potential wartime scenarios.The main objective of the exercise is to evaluate and enhance the preparedness of civil defence machinery in the face of any potential hostile attacks or emergencies. The mock drill will simulate a war-like situation and is expected to include the operationalisation of air raid warning systems, including the sounding of sirens, coordinated responses from local emergency services, and public safety drills.“The idea is to prepare the nation and its administrative framework for contingencies that could arise in a hostile environment. The civil defence drill will be the first of its kind in decades and will test both infrastructure and human response across multiple regions simultaneously,” an official said.This is the first such exercise since 1971. Notably, no such national-level civil defence drills were carried out even during the 1999 Kargil conflict (Operation Vijay).Officials stressed the importance of public cooperation, with local authorities expected to issue detailed advisories on how residents in vulnerable zones should respond during the drill. State disaster response forces, health departments, local police, and district administrations will all participate in the exercise.The backdrop to this drill — growing tension on the western border — underscores the urgency. The April 22 attack in Pahalgam, in which several security personnel and civilians were killed, has intensified concerns over cross-border terrorism and the possibility of further escalations.While the government has not made any official link between the mock drill and the current geopolitical climate, the timing of the exercise has raised eyebrows among analysts and defence observers.“This is a clear message that India is not taking any threat lightly. While it’s a routine preparedness measure on paper, the scale and timing of the drill are clearly in response to the deteriorating regional security scenario,” a senior retired military officer noted.As India prepares for the May 7 drill, authorities are urging citizens not to panic, assuring them that the exercises are strictly precautionary and designed to improve national resilience.
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