New Delhi: In order to prepare for emergencies and to counter new security threats, the Union Home Ministry is planning to train 60,000 volunteers from 12 states and union territories across the country as ‘civil defence personnel.’ For this, the Indian Army will train 600 civil defence master trainers.
In his address to the nation from the Red Fort on August 15, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had mentioned the need to build a dynamic civil defence framework capable of dealing with modern systems, technologies, and current security challenges.
In line with implementing Prime Minister Modi’s visionary approach, the statement issued by the Union Home Ministry said, ‘To implement this vision, the Directorate General of Fire Services, Civil Defence and Home Guards under the Union Home Ministry has launched a pilot project, with the assistance of the Indian Army, to provide special training to master trainers for community safety.
As a first step, the ministry has set a target of training a total of 600 master trainers, with 50 participants each from every participating state and union territory. This three-day training will be conducted at designated Indian Army training centers by the second week of next November.
This training will be designed to enable social security personnel to function effectively during times of security threats. It will cover three aspects: awareness of threats, security and emergency response measures, and communication and coordination.
This training will include modern and hybrid warfare, drone awareness, and measures to counter aerial attack threats. It will also cover fire safety and awareness related to radiation and nuclear energy. In terms of communication and coordination, there will be emergency communication, cybersecurity practices, and digital resilience exercises.
After receiving this special training, each lead trainer will train 100 community safety personnel in their respective states,’ it has been stated.
The states and union territories participating in this include Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Delhi, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. The ministry has selected 10 locations for this project. These include the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Amritsar, Bastar, Bengaluru, Guwahati, Ladakh, Lakshadweep, Mumbai, Rudraprayag, and Visakhapatnam.