"It is a good thing," says defence expert Ranjit Rai as MHA to hold Civil Defence exercise on May 7

New Delhi [India], May 6 (ANI): Defence expert Commodore (retd.) Ranjit Rai welcomed the nationwide Civil Defence exercise scheduled for May 7, highlighting its importance in preparing citizens for emergencies.
Speaking to ANI on the initiative, Rai remarked,"It is a good thing. It will not affect the country. But every Indian will be reminded of what his duty and function are. If by chance an emergency arises, a war breaks out, which is unlikely and should not happen, but you should always know what it is all about. And this is an education from the Home Ministry for the people at large."
The Home Ministry will conduct the exercise across 244 designated Civil Defence Districts to familiarise citizens with protocols during emergencies, including wartime scenarios.
Rai explained that the exercise will feature various drills, including the sounding of sirens and blackouts to simulate conditions where enemy aircraft may attempt to target key locations.
"A nation always needs to ready for any emergency 24X7 including war. In the wat every ministry has a task to do. As MHA is responsible for civil defence, so on 7th some action will take place, siren will blow and get familiar with it, there will be blackout so that enemy plane comes it cannot find its target. And there many measures of civil defence which are given the book which are taking place," he added further.
According to a letter written to Chief Secretaries, the Union Home Ministry said the exercise aims to assess and enhance the readiness of Civil Defence mechanisms across states and Union Territories. The exercise is planned up 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 said.
The primary objectives of the mock drill include assessing the effectiveness of air raid warning systems, operationalisation of hotline, radio communication links with IAF, testing functionality of control rooms and shadow rooms, training of civilians including students on civil defence aspects to protect themselves in the event of hostile attack and provision of crash blackout measures.
The objectives also include the provision of early camouflaging of vital installations, to verify the activation and response of Civil Defence Services including warden services, firefighting, rescue operations and depot management, assessing the implementation of crash blackout measures and evaluating the preparedness of evacuation plans and their execution. (ANI)