Indo-Pak conflict: Rajasthan chief secretary holds 1st civil defence advisory body meeting

Jaipur, May 10 (PTI) Rajasthan Chief Secretary Sudhansh Pant held the first meeting of the State Civil Defence Advisory Committee to review the civil defence preparedness across the state in light of the current security environment.

The meeting took place in the wake of the ongoing hostilities between New Delhi and Islamabad largely in the border areas after India retaliated on May 7 to the killing of 25 tourists and a local in a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22.

During the meeting, the Rajasthan chief secretary issued directions concerning disaster management, electricity supply, medical services and food and civil supplies.

Pant instructed all stakeholders, including Home Guards, Fire Services, Civil Defence Department, district administrations and the State Disaster Management Authority to take proactive steps for the effective and realistic implementation of preparedness activities.

The chief secretary outlined the components of the civil defence drill, which includes siren alerts for potential air strikes, blackout procedures, building fire response, search and rescue operations, casualty evacuation, first aid and the evacuation of civilians from high-risk zones.

Highlighting the importance of public awareness, Pant said community-level preparedness is essential to face any potential disaster.

He reiterated that civil defence efforts are crucial for protecting both lives and property during peacetime and emergencies.

He also reviewed plans for the enrolment of civil defence wardens and volunteer groups, including members of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) and National Service Scheme (NSS), the identification of sensitive locations, implementation of early warning systems, preparedness drills involving blackout scenarios, emergency services, fire safety, food and water supply, medical assistance and public awareness campaigns.

Civil Defence Department Director Jagjeet Singh Monga gave a detailed presentation on the state's current civil defence structure.

The meeting was attended by senior officials including Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Anand Kumar, Principal Secretary Medical and Health Gayatri Rathore, DISCOMs Chairperson Aarti Dogra, DGP (Intelligence) Sanjay Agrawal, ADG (Civil Rights) Malini Agrawal and ADG (SDRF) Hawa Singh Ghumaria among others. PTI SDA KSS KSS