The Ministry of Home Affairs wrote a letter to Chief Secretaries and administrators of the Union Territories, in which it asked the respective governments to ensure strong civil defence preparation, among other measures. This is in the backdrop of the centre’s directive to organise military exercises in over 244 districts on 7th May.
The Directorate General of Fire Services, Civil Defence and Home Guards reported that the exercise planned up to the grassroots village levels will make sure that Indian states and UTs have civil defence capabilities. The directions were issued three days after the Ministry of Home Affairs asked the states to see if all defence equipment and stakeholders are fully prepared. This included civil defence wardens, volunteers, home guards, National Cadet Corps, and students of various schools and colleges.
The drill is being done to assess the efficiency and coordination among different defence measures at the grassroots levels. A notice on Friday was issued by the MHA reminding the states and UTS that are categorised as civil defence towns to have full defence preparedness as per the January 2023 guidelines by the Home Secretary. It must be noted that the directions on Monday were issued at the same time when the PM was holding an important meeting the Aji Doval, the National Security Advisor of India.
Last Sunday, the Feorzepur town in Punjab conducted an exercise on similar lines to ensure preparedness during a blackout situation, and these directions must be read in consonance with the current security situation in the country, and the high-level meetings in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack. There have been various instances of Pakistan breaking he ceasefire “unprovoked” after the attacks, which makes it important that our forces are fully equipped.
After the gruesome attacks that killed 26 people, the NIA has begun an investigation, and as per reports, over 300 people have been questioned, and eyewitnesses have been collected from the survivors and the family of the victims.
