New Delhi: As India celebrated its 80th Independence Day Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the formation of a large civil defence force amidst the need for modernisation of civil defence training to address the evolving security needs of the country.
“The civil defence systems developed according to the needs of the previous century have become outdated today. Therefore, from the ramparts of the Red Fort, I am announcing that in the coming days, we will build a vibrant network of civil defence,” PM Narendra Modi said. The need to expand the systems comes from the need to ensure the country’s security on all fronts, he added.
Civil defence measures are designed to deal with immediate emergency conditions, protect the public and restore vital services and facilities that have been destroyed or damaged by disaster. The aim is to save lives, minimize loss of property, maintain continuity of production and keep up the morale of people.
The concept of civil defence over the years has shifted from management of damage from conventional weapons to include threat perception against nuclear weapons, biological & chemical warfare, and natural and man-made disasters.
“At present, wars are not just being waged on the borders. They are being waged in data centres, banking sectors, and other places. Not only do we have to modernise our defence weapons but also prepare our citizens,” the PM said.
He added that the country’s civil defence sector will have modern systems and mechanisms equipped to protect citizens from present day security threats. “We will familiarise them with modern systems and establish arrangements to protect citizens from modern threats,” the PM said.
Historically, the Civil Defence Policy of the Indian government till the declaration of Emergency in 1962, was confined to making the states and Union Territories conscious of the need for civil protection measures and to ask them to keep ready civil protection plans for major cities and towns under the then Emergency Relief Organisation (ERO) Scheme.
Following the Chinese aggression of 1962 and the India-Pakistan conflict in 1965, there was considerable rethinking about the policy and scope of civil defence. Subsequently, the Civil Defence Act was passed by Parliament in May 1968.
At present, the Act extends to the entire country and provides for, among other things, measures not amounting to actual combat, for affording protection to any person, property, place in India or any part of the territory against hostile attack, whether from air, land or sea. It also authorises the raising of civil defence corps and for making rules and regulations.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)