Civil Defence Can Drill the Civilian Warrior into Us

AR, or an "undeclared war" involving active conflict like the ongoing one between India and Pakistan, does not involve only the armed forces. It potentially involves each and every citizen of the country. While the armed forces actively engage the enemy, it is up to the citizens to prepare themselves for emergency situations arising from possible enemy attacks on civilian areas.

- Nirad Mudur

The go-to has remained on our mental back-burner, only now fished out from the bottom with an almost-war going on. It is the little-known 'civil defence', the drills of which train citizens to protect and help themselves during man-made or natural emergencies, without waiting for better-trained professionals from departments concerned to arrive on the scene, saving crucial time.

Civil defence training is key to making citizens familiar with what steps to take to mitigate damage to life or property in such situations.

The cowardly terror attack of April 22 in Pahalgam in South Kashmir claimed the lives of 26 innocent, unarmed male tourists. The resulting beyond-the-threshold spike in tension in the Indo-Pak relations saw India clinically targeting nine terror locations—five in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir and four in Pakistan—in the wee hours of May 7. Anticipating a response from Pakistan, and a war, the Centre announced nationwide civil defence mock drills for citizens, starting May 7, in all 244 civil defence districts of the country. These are specially designated regions acting as administrative hubs to facilitate civil defence preparedness to train civilian citizens in emergency preparedness and response.