People stand near an underground bunker, near the Line of Control at Uri sector in Baramulla district of J&K, Thursday, May 1, 2025. Residents in the remote border villages are preparing the underground bunkers in the wake of rising tensions between India and Pakistan, following the Pahalgam terror attack.
Credit: PTI Photo
Amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan in the wake of the deadly Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has ordered civil defence mock drills in 244 districts across the country on May 7.
The drills come at a time of not just diplomatic tensions between the two nuclear-armed nations. Since the terror attack, cross-border exchanges of fire, sparked by provocation from the Pakistani side, have also become the norm along the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border (IB), with daily instances of such exchanges being reported.
Amid all this, Pakistan has threatened military action in retaliation to India's decision to suspend the Indus Water Treaty.
As uncertainty hangs in the air, and with the 2021 ceasefire accord between the two nations a mere nominal entity now, the precautionary civil defence drills take on particular importance, signalling India's readiness to defend itself should tensions escalate into direct conflict.
What are civil defence drills?
Used widely during the Cold War to handle the ever-present threat of hostilities, civil defence drills, as the name indicates, simulate real-life scenarios expected during direct conflict to prepare civilians for eventualities and test the effectiveness of government mechanisms in the face of invasion, missile attacks, or airstrikes.
The drills, which will involve simulation of potential scenarios, include air raid warnings, blackouts, and mock evacuations, and aim to mentally prepare the civilian population for conflict scenarios and reduce the potential of mass panic during an attack.
Where are the civil defence drills being held?
The mock drills have been ordered under Section 19 of the Civil Defence Rules, 1968 and will take place across 244 districts categorised as Civil Defence Districts.
With exercises planned up to the village level, the civil defence drills will aim to test the operational readiness of defence mechanisms across all states and Union Territories (UTs).
Check full list of Civil Defence Districts at the end.
What are the objectives of the drills?
The drills will seek to test the effectiveness and readiness of several components of the civil defence mechanism.
The following are the areas of focus:
Air raid warning systems: Testing the functionality and effectiveness of warning systems against aerial attacks.
Communication links: Operationalising hotline and radio communication links with the Indian Air Force for emergency communication.
Control rooms: Testing the functionality of control rooms and shadow control rooms for overseeing civil defence.
Civilian training: Training civilians, students, and other members of the public on aspects of civil defence so as to enable them to protect themselves in the event of an attack.
Crash blackout measures: Testing the implementation of crash blackout measures.
Camouflaging: Verifying the provision for early camouflaging of vital plants and installations to prevent aerial targeting.
Civil Defence services: Assessing the activation and response of civil defence services, including warden services, firefighting services, rescue operations, and depot management.
Evacuation plans: Evaluating the preparedness and execution of evacuation plans to prepare for mass evacuation scenarios.
Who will take part in the mock civil defence drills on May 7?
For the drills scheduled on May 7, the MHA has ordered the participation of various stakeholders, from administrators to students. They are as follows:
District Controller: The head of the Civil Defence organisation in each district.
District authorities: Officials responsible for different aspects of civil administration.
Civil Defence Wardens/Volunteers: Trained individuals responsible for coordinating and assisting the public during emergencies.
Home Guard (active/reservists volunteers): Members of the Home Guard, a volunteer force that assists the police and other security agencies.
NCC, NSS, NYKS: Students from the National Cadet Corps, National Service Scheme, and Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan, respectively.
College/school students: Students from various educational institutions.
Full list of Civil Defence Districts
Andaman & Nicobar Islands (UT)
Port Blair
Andhra Pradesh
Vishakapatnam
Arunachal Pradesh
Alog (West Siang)
Itanagar
Tawang
Hayuling
Bomdila
Assam
Bongaigaon
Dibrugarh
Dhubri
Goalpara
Jorhat
Sibsagar
Tinsukia
Tezpur
Digboi
Duliajan
Guwahati (Dispur)
Rangia
Namrup
Nazira
North Lakhimpur
Numaligarh
Darrang
Golaghat
Karbi-anglong
Kokrajhar
Bihar
Barauni
Katihar
Patna
Purnea
Begusarai
Chandigarh (UT)
Chandigarh
Chhattisgarh
Durg (Bhilai)
Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu (UT)
Dadra (Silvassa)
Daman
Delhi (NCT)
Delhi (including New Delhi & Delhi Cantonment)
Goa
North Goa (Panaji)
South Goa (Marmagoa with Vasco Dabolim & Harbour)
Gujarat
Surat
Ahmedabad
Vadodara
Kakrapar
Jamnagar
Bhuj
Gandhinagar
Bhavnagar
Kandla
Nalia
Ankeleswar
Okha
Vadinar
Bharuch
Kutch
Dangs
Mehsana
Narmada
Navsari
Haryana
Ambala
Faridabad
Gurgaon
Hissar
Panchkula
Panipat
Rohtak
Sirsa
Sonepat
Yamunanagar
Jhajjar
Himachal Pradesh
Shimla
Jammu & Kashmir (UT)
Anantnag
Badgam
Baramula
Doda
Jammu
Kathua
Kupwara
Poonch
Rajauri
Srinagar
Udhampur
Samba
Akhnoor
Uri
Naushera
Sunderbani
Awantipur
Pulwama
Jharkhand
Bokaro
Gomio
Jamshedpur
Ranchi
Godda
Sahebganj
Karnataka
Bengaluru (Urban)
Malleshwara
Raichur
Kerala
Cochin (Kochi)
Thiruvananthapuram
Ladakh (UT)
Kargil
Leh
Lakshadweep (UT)
Lakshadweep (Kavarati)
Madhya Pradesh
Bhopal
Gwalior
Indore
Jabalpur
Katni
Maharashtra
Mumbai
Uran
Tarapur
Thane
Pune
Nasik
Roha-Dhatao-Nagothane
Manmad
Sinner
Thal Vayshet
Pimpri-Chinchwad
Aurangabad
Bhusawal
Raigarh
Ratnagiri
Sindudurg
Manipur
Imphal
Churachandpur
Ukhrul
Moreh
Ningthoukhong
Meghalaya
East Khasi Hill (Shillong)
Jaintia Hill (Jowai)
West Garo Hill (Tura)
Mizoram
Aizawl
Nagaland
Dimapur
Kohima
Mokokchung
Mon
Phek
Tuensang
Wokha
Zunheboto
Kiphire
Peren
Odisha
Talcher
Balasore
Koraput
Bhubaneswar
Gopalpur
Hirakud
Paradip
Rourkela
Bhadrak
Dhenkanal
Jagatsinghpur
Kendrapara
Puducherry (UT)
Puducherry
Punjab
Amritsar
Bhatinda
Ferozepur
Gurdaspur
Hoshiarpur
Jalandhar
Ludhiana
Patiala
Pathankot
Adampur
Barnala
Bhakra-Nangal
Halwara
Kotkapura
Batala
Mohali (SAS Nagar)
Abohar
Faridkot
Ropar
Sangrur
Rajasthan
Kota
Rawat-Bhata
Ajmer
Alwar
Barmer
Bharatpur
Bikaner
Bundi
Ganganagar
Hanumangarh
Jaipur
Jaisalmer
Jodhpur
Udaipur
Sikar
Nal
Suratgarh
Abu Road
Nasirabad (Ajmer)
Bhiwadi
Phulera (Jaipur)
Nagaur (Merta Road)
Jalore
Bewar (Ajmer)
Lalgarh (Ganganagar)
Sawai Madhopur
Pali
Bhilwara
Sikkim
Gangtok
Tamil Nadu
Chennai
Kalpakkam
Telangana
Hyderabad
Tripura
Agartala
Uttar Pradesh
Bulandshahr (Narora)
Agra
Allahabad
Bareilly
Ghaziabad
Gorakhpur
Jhansi
Kanpur
Lucknow
Mathura
Meerut
Moradabad
Saharanpur
Varanasi
Bakshi-Ka-Talab
Mughalsarai
Sarsawa
Bagpat
Muzaffarnagar
Uttarakhand
Dehradun
West Bengal
Coochbehar
Darjeeling
Jalpaiguri
Malda
Siliguri
Greater Kolkata
Durgapur
Haldia
Hashimara
Kharagpur
Burnpur-Asansol
Farakka-Khejuriaghat
Chittaranjan
Balurghat
Alipurduar
Raiganj
Islampur
Dinhata
Mekhliganj
Mathabhanga
Kalimpong
Jaldhaka
Kurseong
Kolaghat
Bardhaman
Birbhum
East Medinipur
West Medinipur
Howrah
Hooghly
Murshidabad
(List as per a GoI notification dated Mar 2, 2010. Edited to ensure correct distribution of districts under their respective states/UTs as of 2025.)
NOTE: List contains 259 Civil Defence Districts, whereas the May 7, 2025 drills will be held in 244.