By : pcgea
Mock Drill in India: Understanding the Process and Participating States and District
India is set to conduct a nationwide civil defense mock drill today, May 7, 2025, as directed by the Home Ministry. This exercise aims to evaluate wartime operating procedures across 244 districts in the country.
These National Civil Defence Mock Drills are simulated emergency responses designed to test how prepared the government and civilians are for crises like attacks or war. The drills involve various activities, including the sounding of air raid sirens, implementing blackouts, carrying out evacuations, and providing first aid training. Authorities, students, and volunteers participate to strengthen readiness for national emergencies or disasters.
This move comes amid growing tensions between India and Pakistan following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, which killed 26 people.
A Civil Defence Mock Drill is essentially a preparedness exercise for civilians and a test for government management systems in responding to emergencies such as attacks, strikes, or even wartime situations. During the drill, realistic scenarios are created – for instance, city-wide power outages, the activation of air raid sirens, practicing sheltering procedures, and the real-time operation of emergency teams. This marks India’s first nationwide mock drill since the 1971 war.
How a Civil Defence Mock Drill Functions:
- Planning and Coordination: The drills are organized by authorities, often district magistrates and local administrators. They handle participant selection and coordinate with various agencies, including civil defense, police, fire departments, health organizations, volunteers, and students.
- Activation of Warning Systems: Air raid sirens are tested to ensure they are functional and that the public understands how to respond to them.
- Blackout Simulations: Simulated “blackouts” are conducted by switching off lights in designated areas. This exercise aims to practice concealing critical infrastructure from potential air raids.
- Evacuation Drills: Civilians, especially those in vulnerable or border areas, practice evacuating to shelters or safe zones.
- Training Sessions: Civilians, students, and volunteers receive practical training in safety protocols, first aid techniques, and emergency evacuation procedures.
- Protection of Critical Installations: Governments simulate measures to quickly camouflage or reinforce essential facilities like hospitals, power plants, and military bases.
- Assessment and Reporting: After the drill, officials evaluate its effectiveness, identify areas for improvement, and prepare reports to guide future enhancements
Activities Planned for the Nationwide Mock Drill on May 7:
The upcoming mock drill on May 7, 2025, will emphasize several key activities to enhance civil defense readiness throughout India, following the Home Ministry’s directive. According to a letter from the Directorate General Fire Service, Civil Defence and Home Guards, “In the current geo-political scenario, new and complex threats/challenges have emerged, hence, it would be prudent that optimum civil defence preparedness in the states/UTs is maintained at all times.”
The activities will include:
- Air Raid Sirens: Testing the public alert systems to ensure effective public warning during emergencies or threats.
- Blackouts: Simulating blackout conditions, similar to those during wartime, by advising the public to switch off all visible lights in cities.
- Camouflage Exercises: Conducting tests on concealment methods for communication towers, power plants, and military zones to evaluate their protection from satellite surveillance.
- Evacuation Drills: Practicing the movement of people from vulnerable areas to secure locations to identify logistical issues and improve response efficiency.
- Civilian Training Sessions: Holding awareness programs in public spaces like schools, offices, and community centers to educate the public on seeking shelter and providing basic first aid.
Check the full list of districts here :
| S.No. | Name of state/ UT | Category-1 | Category-2 | Category-2 |
| 1 | A & N Island | — | 1. Port Blair | — |
| 2 | Andhra Pradesh | — | 2. Hyderabad 3. Vishakapatnam | — |
| 3 | Arunachal Pradesh | — | 4. Aalo (West Siang) 5. Itanagar 6. Tawang 7. Hayuliang | 1. Bomdila |
| 4 | Assam | — | 8. Bongaigaon 9. Dibrugarh 10. Dhubri 11. Goalpara 12. Jorhat 13. Sibsagar 14. Tinsukia 15. Tezpur 16. Digboi 17. Duliajan 18. Guwahati (Dispur) 19. Rangia 20. Namrup 21. Nazira 22. North-Lakhimpur 23. Numaligarh | 2. Darrang 3. Golaghat 4. Karbi-anglong 5. Kokrajhar |
| 5 | Bihar | — | 24. Barauni 25. Katihar 26. Patna 27. Purnea | 6. Begusarai |
| 6 | Chandigarh # | — | 28. Chandigarh | — |
| 7 | Chhattisgarh | — | 29. Durg (Bhilai) | — |
| 8 | Dadra Nagar Haveli # | — | 30. Dadra (Silvasa) | — |
| 9 | Daman & Diu # | — | 31. Daman | — |
| 10 | Delhi # | 1. Delhi (including New Delhi & Delhi Cantonment) | — | — |
| 11 | Goa | — | 32. North Goa (Panjaji) 33. South Goa (Marmagoa with Vasco Dabolim & Harbour) | — |
| 12 | Gujarat | 2. Surat 3. Vadodara 4. Kakrapar | 34. Ahmedabad 35. Jamnagar/Bhuj 36. Gandhinagar 37. Bhavnagar 8. Kandla 39. Naila 40. Ankleshwar 41. Okha 42. Vadinar | 7. Bharuch 8. Dangs 9. Kutch 10. Mehsana 11. Narmada 12. Navsari |
| 13 | Haryana | — | 44. Ambala 45. Faridabad 46. Gurgaon 47. Hissar 48. Panchkula 49. Panipat 50. Rohtak 51. Sirsa 52. Sonepat 53. Yamunanagar | 13. Jhajjar |
| 14 | Himachal Pradesh | — | 54. Shimla | — |
| 15 | Jammu & Kashmir | — | 55. Anantnag 56. Badgam 57. Baramula 58. Doda 59. Jammu 60. Kargil 61. Kathua 62. Kupwara 63. Leh 64. Poonch 65. Rajauri 66. Srinagar 67. Udhampur 68. Samba 69. Akhnoor 70. Uri 71. Nowshera 72. Sunderbani 73. Avantipur | 14. Pulwama |
| 16 | Jharkhand | — | 74. Bokaro 75. Gomio | 15. Godda 16. Sahebganj |
| 17 | Karnataka | — | 78. Bengaluru (Urban) 79. Malleswara 80. Raichur | — |
| 18 | Kerala | — | 81. Cochin (Kochi) 82. Thiruvananthapuram | — |
| 19 | Lakshadweep # | — | 83. Lakshadweep (Kavaratti) | — |
| 20 | Madhya Pradesh | — | 84. Bhopal 85. Gwalior 86. Indore 87. Jabalpur 88. Katni | — |
| 21 | Maharashtra | 5. Mumbai 6. Uran 7. Tarapur | 89. Thane 90. Pune 91. Nasik 92. Rohn-Dhatao-Nagothane 93. Manmad 94. Sinner 95. Thal Vayshot 96. Pimpri-Chinchwad | 17. Aurangabad 18. Bhusawal 19. Raigarh 20. Ratnagiri 21. Sindudurg |
| 22 | Manipur | — | 97. Imphal 98. Churachandpur 99. Ukhrul 100. Moreh 101. Mingthou-Khong | — |
| 23 | Meghalaya | — | 102. East Khasi Hill (Shillong) 103. Jaintia Hill (Jawai) 104. West Garo Hill (Tura) | — |
| 24 | Mizoram | — | 105. Aizawal | — |
| 25 | Nagaland | — | 106. Dimapur 107. Kohima 108. Mokokchung 109. Mon 110. Phek 111. Tuensang 112. Wokha 113. Zunheboto 114. Kiphri 115. Perren | |
| 26 | Orissa | 8. Talcher | 116. Balasore 117. Koraput 118. Bhubaneswar 119. Gopalpur 120. Hirakund 121. Paradip 122. Rourkela | 22. Bhadrak 23. Dhenkanal 24. Jagatsinghpur 25. Kendrapara Taridker |
| 27 | Puduchery # | 123. Punduchery | ||
| 28 | Punjab | 124. Amritsar 125. Bhatinda 126. Ferozepur 127. Gurdaspur 128. Hosiarpur 129. Jalandhar 130. Ludhiana 131. Patiala 132. Pathankot 133. AdHampur 134. Barnala 135. Bhakra- Nangal 136. Halwara 137. Kothkapur 138. Batala 139. Mohali (Sasnagar) 140. Abohar | 26. Faridpur 27. Ropar 28. Sangrur dallaridi Passed obiana Kot one Forozepur | |
| 29 | Rajasthan | 9. Kota 10. Rawat-Bhata | 141. Ajmer 142. Alwar 143. Barmer 144. Bharatpur 145. Bikaner 146. Bundi 147. Ganganagar 148. Hanumangarh 149. Jaipur 150. Jaisalmer 151. Jodhpur 152. Udaipur 153. Sikar 154. Nal 155. Suratgarh 156. Abu Road 157. Nasirabad (Ajmer) 158. Bhivari | 29. Phulera (Jaipur) 30. Nagaur (Merta Road) 31. Jalore 32. Bewar (Ajmer) 33. Lalgarh (Ganganagar) 34. Sawai Madhopur 35. Pali 36. Bhilwara |
| 30 | Sikkim | 159. Gangtok | ||
| 31 | Tamil Nadu | 11. Chennai | ||
| 12. Kalpakkam | ||||
| 32 | Tripura | 160. Agartala | ||
| 33 | Uttar Pradesh | 13. Bulandshehar (Narora) | 161. Agra 162. Allahabad 163. Bareilly 164. Ghaziabad 165. Gorakhpur 166. Jhansi 167. Kanpur 168. Lucknow 169. Mathura 170. Meerut 171. Moradabad 172. Saharanpur 173. Varansi 174. Bakshi-Ka-Talab 175. Mughalsarai 176. Sarsawa | 37. Bagpat 38. Muzaffar – Nagar |
| 34 | Uttarakhand | 177. Dehradun | ||
| 35 | West Bengal | 178. Coochbehar 179. Darjeeling 180. Jalpaiguri 181. Malda 182. Siliguri 183. Greater Kolkata 184. Durgapur 185. Haldia 186. Hashimara 187. Kharagpur 188. Burnpur- Asansol 189. Farakka- Khejuriaghat 190. Chittaranjan 191. Balurghat 192. Alipurwar 193. Raiganj 194. Islampur 195. Dinhata 196. Makhili ganj 197. Mathabhanga 198. Kalimpong |