States, UTs gear up for security drills

OVER 500,000 CIVIL DEFENCE PERSONNEL ACROSS THE 244 IDENTIFIED DISTRICTS WILL BE PART OF THE DRILL

- HT Correspondents

NEW DELHI: Drills will be conducted across several states and Union territories on Wednesday as part of a nationwide civil defence preparedness exercise to assess the country's readiness for any hostile attacks. Earlier on Monday, the ministry of home affairs (MHA) asked several states to conduct mock drills in view of "new and complex threats" that have emerged amid rising tension with Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack.

"Government of India has decided to organise civil defence exercise and rehearsal across the 244 categorised civil defence districts of the country on May 7, 2025. The conduct of the exercise is planned up to the village level," the MHA said in a letter to the chief secretaries of various states and administrators of Union territories.

Over 500,000 civil defence personnel across 244 identified districts will be part of the drill. They will work in conjunction with police, fire department, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel, officials said.