New Delhi [India]: In response to rising tensions with Pakistan, the Union Home Ministry has announced a large-scale Civil Defence Exercise and Rehearsal across 244 designated districts on May 7, 2025, aiming to bolster the nation’s emergency preparedness.
In a letter addressed to all Chief Secretaries, the Home Ministry stated that the drills are designed to assess and strengthen civil defence readiness across states and Union Territories, extending down to the village level.
“Ministry of Home Affairs has decided to organise Civil Defence Exercise and Rehearsal across 244 categorised Civil Defence Districts of the country on May 7, 2025,”
the letter read.
The comprehensive mock drills will evaluate multiple aspects of civil defence strategy. These include testing air raid warning systems, hotline and radio communication links with the Indian Air Force, the operational readiness of control and shadow rooms, crash blackout measures, and evacuation plans. The drills will also involve civilian training—including students—in basic survival tactics during hostile attacks.
Other objectives include verifying camouflaging protocols for critical infrastructure, assessing the responsiveness of civil defence services such as wardens, firefighting units, rescue teams, and depot management systems.
The initiative follows earlier communications from the Home Ministry. On May 2, a letter was sent to Chief Secretaries highlighting the importance of preparedness in vulnerable regions. Back in January, Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla had stressed the critical role of civil defence in national passive defence strategy, asking top officials to personally oversee preparedness efforts.
“I shall be grateful if you could personally look into and review the Civil Defence set up in your State as envisaged in the Union War Book and direct the concerned officers to comprehensively review the CD Plans and implement the required CD measures so as to effectively deal with any emergency situation,”
the Home Secretary wrote.
He further noted that both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah emphasized the importance of civil defence during their speeches at the ‘Chintan Shivir’ in Surajkund, Haryana in October 2022.
The Home Ministry has identified 295 vulnerable districts across the country where peacetime civil defence measures are deemed essential.
This intensified focus on national readiness comes in the wake of the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, where 26 people lost their lives. The Indian government has vowed strict punishment for those responsible.