Indian Army to train civil defense personnel in 12 states, UT

Union Defense Minister Rajnath Singh shakes hands with members of the Indian Army | Photo credit: ANI

The Union Home Ministry has decided to build a “Civil Defense Network” with the help of Indian Army training. The ministry said in a release on Friday (Oct 23, 2026) that in the first phase of the programme, a three-day specialized training for ‘Chief Civil Defense Trainers’ will be conducted in 12 states and Union Territories by the second week of November.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in August that a civil defense network equipped with modern systems, technology and contemporary readiness capabilities will be built to address emerging security challenges.

“In support of this vision of the Directorate General of Fire Services, Civil Defense and Home Guards (DGFSCDHG), the Ministry of Home Affairs in coordination with the Indian Army is undertaking a first-of-its-kind pilot initiative to strengthen civil defense preparedness through specialized training of ‘Chief Civil Defense Trainers’ by the Indian Army,” the ministry said.

A total of 600 Chief Civil Defense Trainers, 50 from each participating State/UT, will be trained at designated training facilities of the Indian Army by the second week of November. Civil defense personnel from Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Delhi, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu will participate in the training.

“The initiative seeks to increase the readiness of civil defense personnel to respond effectively to current security threats, hostile situations and emergencies,” the ministry said.

The training will cover three broad areas. The first, threat awareness, will include modern and hybrid warfare, drone and airstrike awareness. The second, emergency protection and response, will include critical infrastructure protection, fire safety, chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) awareness, incident management and search and rescue. The third, communications and coordination, will cover emergency communications, cyber hygiene, digital resilience, civil-military coordination and incident command.

After specialized training, each Master Trainer will train 100 more Civil Defense Volunteers in their respective states or Union Territories. “This cascading mechanism has the potential to extend specialized preparedness skills to 60,000 Civil Defense Volunteers across 12 participating States/UTs, significantly expanding the reach and impact of the initiative,” the ministry said.

Published – 24 Oct 2026 22:08 IST