Massive Nationwide Mock Drills on May 7: Check Full List of 244 Districts as Centre Ramps Up Civil Defence Preparedness

Amid rising border tensions between India and Pakistan after the barbaric terror attack in Jammu & Kashmir's Pahalgam, which claimed 26 lives, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Monday directed all States and Union Territories to conduct mock drills on Wednesday, May 7, across 244 categorised civil defence districts. These drills aim to evaluate and enhance civil defence preparedness in the event of hostile attacks.

On Tuesday, a high-level meeting chaired by Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan was convened to coordinate the efforts and oversee implementation across the country.

Why Mock Drills?

According to the MHA advisory, the mock drills are part of a nationwide exercise to assess the operational readiness of civil defence systems. The initiative will span 244 out of 259 civil defence-designated towns and districts, classified into three categories:

Category 1: 13 towns/districts
Category 2: 201 towns/districts
Category 3: 45 towns/districts

"This exercise aims to assess and enhance the readiness of civil defence mechanisms across the states and union territories," the advisory said.

What will happen during Mock Drills?

During the drills, the following civil defence measures will be tested and rehearsed:

1. Operationalisation of air raid warning sirens

2. Training of Civilians, Students, etc. on the civil defence aspects to protect themselves in the event of hostile attacks

3. Provision of Crash Blackout Procedures 

4. Provision of early Camouflaging of Vital plants/Installations 

5. Updation on evacuation plan and its rehearsals

This exercise will involve local administrations, police, civil defence volunteers, and trained personnel from disaster response teams.

The Home Ministry has instructed state authorities to ensure public participation, especially involving students and civilians, to foster awareness and readiness. 

Full List of Civil Defence Districts

A comprehensive list of the 244 districts where these drills will be conducted has been accessed by Republic. Citizens in the listed districts are encouraged to participate and cooperate fully with authorities on Wednesday, May 7, as India tests its civil defence systems on an unprecedented scale.

Check the List of civil defence districts -