"Preparation is prevention": Former IPS officer Kiren Bedi on mock drills

New Delhi (India), May 6 (ANI): Former IPS officer and former LG of Puducherry Kiren Bedi on Tuesday said that mock drills called by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) across various cities in India are not a cause to "worry" about but a self-assurance that everyone is coming together.
Bedi added that people are now taking responsibility to protect themselves in different situation, adding that "preparation is prevention."
Speaking with ANI, Kiren Bedi said. "It's a cause for not to worry but it causes self-assurance and greater assurance because now we the people of India, the youth of India, the energetic of India, the healthy of India, men and women and the youth all coming together for each other. They're all coming for themselves and each other. They are taking responsibility for each other and themselves, and how to protect themselves in different situations. So, I think preparation is prevention."
Emphasising the need to be prepared at every occasion, Bedi said, "the preparation means you prevent so many disasters, and it also works in collaboration with the local police, with disaster management authorities, the NCC students, the NSS, the civil defence, the home guards, the police and all of them."
Earlier, Union Home Ministry has asked several states to conduct mock drills on May 7 to enhance Civil Defence effectiveness. The measures to be undertaken include operationalisation of Air Raid Warning Sirens and training of civilians, students, and others on Civil Defence aspects to protect themselves in the event of a hostile attack.
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.
The Home Ministry had on May 2 written to Chief Secretaries of all states and UTs about civil defence preparedness in the vulnerable areas and districts.
Twenty-six people were killed in the terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22. The government has said that perpetrators will face severe punishment. (ANI)