Civil Defence Exercise Under ‘Operation Shield’ Postponed In Rajasthan And Gujarat; To Proceed In Haryana

The civil defence exercise scheduled in Rajasthan and Gujarat for May 29 has been postponed due to administrative reasons.

Official statements from the Rajasthan Home Department and the Gujarat Information Department confirmed the deferment.

Authorities will announce new dates soon.

The Ministry of Home Affairs had earlier decided to conduct a large-scale civil defence exercise on May 29 in states bordering Pakistan—namely Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Directorate General of Fire Service and Home Guards had communicated the plan, naming the operation as ‘Operation Shield’.

The exercise aimed to assess emergency preparedness and enhance coordination among civil defence units, local authorities, and security forces.

It was expected to involve blackout drills, air raid simulations, and response protocols against aerial threats such as drone swarms.

Gaps Prompt Operation Shield

The exercise follows Operation Sindoor, the first nationwide civil defence exercise, conducted on May 7.

During that drill, officials observed critical gaps in civil defence preparedness in key regions.

Operation Shield was conceived to address those deficiencies and test emergency mechanisms in border states more rigorously.

The Directorate General had planned the latest drill specifically to prepare vulnerable states for hostile scenarios and to evaluate coordination between civil agencies and defence forces.

Haryana To Proceed With Statewide Mock Drill

While Rajasthan and Gujarat have deferred their participation, Haryana will go ahead with its drill.

The Haryana government confirmed it would conduct a statewide civil defence exercise on May 29 between 5 PM and 9 PM across all 22 districts.

The simulation will feature drills in response to air raids and drone threats, activation of air raid sirens, and tests of communication hotlines with the Indian Air Force.

A 15-minute blackout will occur from 8 PM near vital installations, excluding emergency services such as hospitals and police stations.

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