Additional Chief Secretary, Home Department, Dr. Sumita Misra today announced a comprehensive strengthening of Haryana’s Civil Defence setup to ensure the state is fully prepared to handle any emergency be it natural or man-made with swiftness. Dr. Misra stated that the government has launched Civil Defence (CD) volunteer registration camps throughout the state at district level and sub division level to begin with.
Currently, the drills are being run in 10 districts and will soon be expanded comprehensively to all districts. These volunteers will be provided with standard jackets and uniforms to ensure they are easily identifiable and ready to act in emergency situations.
She further informed that the existing Paper Plan in each districts will be revamped and updated with focus on vulnerability mapping of key public infrastructure such as government building, schools, universities, hospitals, power grids, industries and water systems both in urban and rural areas. “No high-risk areas will left unmapped,” Dr. Misra asserted.
Dr. Misra further informed that all new CD volunteers will undergo mandatory training based on the official national module issued by the Government of India. In order to strengthen local emergency response, a platoon of 30 trained Home Guard volunteers (on paid basis) will be placed on standby at district level.
She further informed that for the first time, livestock evacuation has been made a formal part of disaster drills. CD volunteers experienced in animal care will be involved to ensure full-scale community protection. At the same time, the state is working with defence forces to develop a response plan for unexploded ordnance (UXO).
Dr. Misra reaffirmed that Haryana is committed to building a trained, equipped, and alert Civil Defence force. “Haryana is fully equipped and prepared, as disaster readiness is not just a priority it is the need of the hour,” she added. Community based efforts reduce risk and create opportunities for local development and sustainable livelihoods.
By localizing disaster risk reduction, we will also optimize the utilization of indigenous knowledge and conventional best practices. In addition, under National Disaster Management Authority Scheme of the Revenue and Disaster Management Department, 2300 volunteers have already been trained as ‘Aapda Mitra’ in nine districts namely Ambala, Panchkula, Rewari, Kurukshetra, Faridabad, Nuh, Gurugram, Sonipat, Yamunanagar, with the fundamental skills such as search & rescue, *evacuation*, first aid etc. necessary to address the immediate needs in case of any sensitive situation.
The meeting was attended by Secretary, Home, Smt. Geeta Bharti, Special Secretary, Revenue & Disaster Management Department, Sh. Rahul Hooda, Member Secretary, State Disaster Management Authority, Sh. S. Narayanan, DSP, Home Guard/Civil Defence, Smt. Tanya Singh, Project Officer, Smt. Ritesh and other senior officers were present.