244 Districts Identified; Mock Drill to Test Emergency Preparedness from Cities to Villages
SHABD News | New Delhi | May 6, 2025 In a landmark initiative to assess and enhance the country’s civil defense preparedness, the Ministry of Home Affairs has scheduled a nationwide mock drill on May 7, 2025, covering 244 districts across India. The exercise will simulate large-scale emergencies, including wartime scenarios, and will extend down to the village level, officials confirmed on Tuesday.
The move is aimed at strengthening India’s readiness to respond to emergencies such as aerial attacks, natural disasters, and other crises. The drills will begin with the sounding of air raid sirens, followed by the enforcement of crash blackout protocols, during which lights will be switched off to simulate an aerial threat environment.
Citizens from all walks of life, including students and civil defense volunteers, will actively participate in the drill. Key components of the exercise include:
Camouflaging of critical infrastructure, Execution of revised evacuation strategies, Community training on protective actions and relocation methods.
A high-level coordination meeting, chaired by Home Secretary Govind Mohan, was convened today at the Ministry of Home Affairs to finalize preparations. Senior civil defense officials from all states and union territories were present.
This is one of the most comprehensive drills ever undertaken by the government. It aims not just to test coordination among agencies, but to also instill a culture of preparedness among citizens,”
a senior official from the Ministry stated.
Drill Coverage: Districts Categorized by Risk and Strategic Importance The 244 districts selected for the exercise have been categorized based on strategic relevance: Category-I: Delhi (including New Delhi & Delhi Cantonment) Category-II: Major urban and industrial hubs such as Port Blair, Hyderabad, Vishakapatnam, Guwahati, Patna, Silchar, and Durg (Bhilai) Category-III: Sensitive and remote regions including Bomdila (Arunachal Pradesh), Kokrajhar (Assam), and Begusarai (Bihar) The complete list includes districts across Assam, Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Chandigarh, Delhi, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu, and others.
Authorities emphasize that the success of the exercise hinges not only on the efficiency of command and control structures but also on public awareness and active citizen participation.
