Outlook Business Desk
India will conduct a major civil defence exercise on May 29 across five states bordering Pakistan. The mock drills aim to boost readiness against potential wartime threats including air raids and missile strikes.
Operation Shield is a civil defence drill by India to check how ready border states are for emergencies. It includes mock blackouts, air raids and evacuations to help teams and people practice real-life crisis response.
This border-state drill follows nationwide mock exercises held earlier to test emergency response to war-like scenarios. These occurred just hours before India’s ‘Operation Sindoor’, a counterstrike on terror camps after the April 22 Pahalgam attack.
The exercise spans Gujarat, Punjab, Rajasthan, Jammu & Kashmir and Haryana. All these states share borders with Pakistan, making them crucial to national security readiness planning.
Activities will kick off at 5 pm on May 29. Residents may witness sirens, sudden blackouts, or mock evacuations as part of the simulation. Authorities urge calm and cooperation.
Earlier this month, India held its biggest-ever civil defence exercise, Operation Abhyaas, covering 244 districts. Operation Shield builds on that momentum to focus on vulnerable border regions.
State disaster response teams, local police, fire services, medical personnel and civil defence volunteers will actively participate in the drills.
Authorities recommend keeping emergency kits ready—flashlights, first aid and water.