India Orders States to Conduct Civil Defense Mock Drill on May 7

The Union Home Ministry has requested states to conduct mock drills on 7th May 2025 (Wednesday) to assess civil defence readiness across the 244 categorised civil defence districts. Officials in the Ministry stated that the steps to be taken include operationalisation of Air Raid Warning Sirens and civilian and student training on the civil defence dimension to safeguard themselves in case of an enemy attack.

Sources further indicated that the steps also involve the provision of crash blackout measures, provision for pre-emptive camouflaging of critical installations and revision of the evacuation plan and its practice. A mock drill in India on 7th May is a type of practice exercise aimed at preparing people for possible emergencies or critical events.

Centre asks Several States to Conduct Mock Drill to Evaluate Civil Defence Preparedness

The Central government has given an advisory to various states, including Delhi, to undertake thorough mock drills for assessing and improving their civil defence readiness in the wake of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 Indian tourists dead in Jammu and Kashmir. The mock drills will be closely observed and evaluated to identify strengths, weaknesses, and gaps in the current civil defence preparedness.

These civil defence drills extending to village level, will assess readiness & coordination of civil defence forces, involving officials, volunteers, NCC, NSS, NYKS and Students. Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan is also scheduled to hold a meeting with Chief Secretaries of States through video-conferencing on Civil Defence Mock Drill on 6th May 2025 (today).

Aim

The overall intention of these 7th May mock drills is to test the preparedness and efficiency of the current civil defence mechanisms at the state and local levels. This involves measuring the response capacity of different agencies, coordination between them, and the readiness of the people to address various types of emergencies.

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Objectives of the 7th May Mock Drill in India

As per the MHA, the major objectives of the 7th May mock drill in India are as below:

• Evaluation of air raid warning system efficacy.
• Implementation of Hotline/Radio Communication Links with the Indian Air Force (IAF).
• Test of the effectiveness of control rooms and shadow control rooms.
• Training civilians, students, etc., in civil defence aspects for defence in the face of an adversarial attack.
• Deployment of crash blackout measures.
• Early camouflage provision for essential plants/installations.
• To confirm the wakening and alertness of Civil Defence services, including warden services, fire-fighting, rescue operations, warden services and depot control.
• To judge the operation of crash blackout measures.
• To judge the readiness of evacuation plans and their implementation.

What is a Civil Defence Mock Drill?

A civil defence mock drill is a mass preparedness exercise meant to evaluate and enhance the way a civilian population and government agencies react to emergency circumstances, especially those that may occur during a hostile attack or a catastrophic disaster. It is a simulation of actual events to increase readiness, reduce panic, and save lives and property.

Participating Agencies

Various agencies will participate in these simulated exercises, which could include:

• State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs)
• District Disaster Management Authorities (DDMAs)
• Volunteers and groups of Civil Defence
• Firefighting and rescue services
• Police forces
• Departments of health and hospitals
• Transportation departments
• Local administrations and municipalities
• Even the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) on coordination and assessment, perhaps.

Govt orders Security Drills across India, First Since 1971

The Central government’s directive to some states to hold security mock drills on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, is being widely covered as the first of its kind of nationwide drill after the 1971 war with Pakistan. This long interval highlights the seriousness of the situation and the government’s focus on readiness. Here are some of the major points highlighting this background:

• Timing: The directive for these large-scale civil defence exercises comes in the wake of increased tensions with Pakistan after the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, 2025, which has been attributed to Pakistan-based organisations.
• Scale: The drills are scheduled in 244 districts of all states and Union Territories, extending to the village level in certain regions. This reflects an all-out attempt to evaluate and improve civilian preparedness nationwide.
• Nature of Drills: The drills will be war-like in nature, involving the operationalisation of air raid warning sirens, the enforcement of crash blackout procedures in targeted areas, and the training of civilians (including students) in safety procedures during aerial or ground attacks. Evacuation plan rehearsals and camouflaging of critical installations are also included in the drills.

List of 244 Civil Defence Districts

The list of all 244 districts participating in the civil defence mock drills on May 7th, 2025, is given below, which has been categorised into 3 categories:

• Category-I: 13 Districts
• Category-II: 201 Districts
• Category-III: 45 Districts

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