Latest news with #AapdaMitras
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Business Standard
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
India trains 1,700 Aapda Mitras for civil defence amid border tension
As border tensions with Pakistan intensify, the Indian government has strengthened its civil defence strategy by training over 1,700 Aapda Mitra volunteers. The large-scale training programme, held at Delhi's Siri Fort Auditorium, is a joint initiative by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and the Indian Red Cross Society. The initiative, which aims to improve grassroots readiness, trains civilian volunteers in essential emergency response skills such as evacuation protocols, first aid, and firefighting. These trained Aapda Mitras will assist civil defence forces in strengthening community resilience during natural disasters and security emergencies. — NDMA India | राष्ट्रीय आपदा प्रबंधन प्राधिकरण ???????? (@ndmaindia) May 9, 2025 This push for grassroots preparedness comes at a time of heightened alert following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which left 26 people dead. In retaliation, India launched Operation Sindoor, a series of precision air and missile strikes that destroyed nine terror camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Tensions escalated further on Thursday night when Pakistan attempted retaliatory drone and missile strikes on multiple Indian military installations. According to the Defence Ministry, 'The Pakistani military on Thursday night attempted to target Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bathinda, Chandigarh, Nal, Phalodi, Uttarlai and Bhuj.' The Indian armed forces successfully intercepted the attacks and launched a counteroffensive, deploying kamikaze drones to destroy a Pakistani air defence system in Lahore. Sirens and explosions were reported in Akhnoor, Samba, Baramulla, and Kupwara, as Indian forces maintained a high-alert aerial vigil along the border. The Defence Ministry confirmed the attempted strikes targeted 15 cities across northern and western India, including key locations in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Gujarat. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also addressed the escalating conflict, stating, 'No limit will become an obstacle to protecting India's sovereignty and the nation is fully prepared for such responses.' He emphasised India's preference for peace and dialogue but warned against mistaking restraint for weakness. 'However, if anyone tries to take advantage of this restraint, they will face quality action. We are fully prepared for such responsible responses in the future as well,' he added. [With agency inputs]
Indian Express
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Delhi prepares for emergency, trials on air raid sirens to be held across 11 districts today
Amid rising tensions between Indian and Pakistan, all the district magistrates in Delhi have been directed to deploy air raid sirens, including manual and electrical, at important and critical locations and conduct trials on Friday. The 11 district administrations in Delhi will conduct the trials at different timings in the evening and check the response from the departments concerned. The development comes following reports of attacks in Jammu and along the international border via Pakistani drones, said officials. G Sudhakar, District Magistrate (DM) of Central Delhi, said that the Directorate of Civil Defence will be testing air raid sirens installed at the PWD headquarters at ITO. 'The testing will commence at 3 pm and be carried out for a period of 15-20 minutes,' Sudhakar said in a statement. The DM also advised the general public to stay calm and not to panic during the exercise. Another senior revenue district officer said that they have already installed air raid sirens at several locations, including Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport. Officials said the Delhi government has decided to procure 500 sirens to be installed across the city and train 1,800 Aapda Mitras (friends for disaster management) through an agency suggested by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). New Delhi district will conduct similar testing of air raid sirens at the NDMC Palika Kendra building in the evening between 6 pm and 7 pm, said an officer. The South West district, meanwhile, has installed manual and electrical sirens at BPCL, Bijwasan, Vegas Mall Dwarka, Uttam Nagar police station, Dwarka More Metro station, India Gandhi Hospital in Dwarka Sector 10, Dwarka Sector 21 Metro station, and Najafgarh SDM office. Further, the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), district, and state-level control rooms have been directed to monitor the ground situation 24 hours with backup communications. Delhi Services on Thursday evening also cancelled the leaves of all government officials and staff following the emergency situation. Officials said those who have already gone on leave or whose leave grants were approved and have been withdrawn, and those staff on leave have been asked to rejoin duty immediately.
Hindustan Times
08-05-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
Gautam Budh Nagar: Volunteers to get disaster response training
Noida: To develop a community-led disaster resilience, a group of 100 volunteers from Gautam Budh Nagar will undergo a 12-day residential training that is designed to prepare interested youth into capable first responders in their local areas during any calamity or disaster. In total, 4,800 'Aapda Mitras' will be trained in two phases across 48 districts of the state. Each district has nominated 100 participants, officials said. (HT Photo) In total, 4,800 'Aapda Mitras' will be trained in two phases across 48 districts of the state. Each district has nominated 100 participants, officials said. At the Collectorate premises in Surajpur, Greater Noida, district magistrate Manish Kumar Verma on Wednesday flagged off the volunteers who will undergo training under the 'Aapda Mitra' scheme, a central government initiative launched by National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to train community volunteers as first responders during natural and man-made disasters. 'Preparedness at the community level is the backbone of effective disaster response. The Aapda Mitra initiative empowers our youth to act swiftly and responsibly in times of crisis. I congratulate all the selected volunteers and hope they serve as inspiring role models in their communities,' the DM said. To be held in Lucknow from May 8 to 20, the training is part of a state-wide programme led by the Uttar Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (UPSDMA), in accordance with standards laid out by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), New Delhi. The volunteers include enthusiastic youth from the NCC (national cadets corps), Prantiya Rakshak Dal (PRD), and local community groups like Mangal Dal, all selected to act as first responders during natural or man-made disasters, officials added. The programme is being executed locally under the coordination of Omkar Chaturvedi, a district disaster management specialist, who said the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) will provide hands-on training in essential emergency response skills, including swimming, rescue techniques, first aid, CPR (a life-saving emergency procedure), and more. 'The initiative aims to build a strong network of community-level responders who can immediately step in to help during any disaster. The training will equip them not only with life-saving skills but also with a sense of responsibility toward their communities. From life-saving techniques like CPR and first aid to rescue operations and swimming, the Aapda Mitras will be fully equipped to respond to emergencies in their local areas,' he added. All selected Aapda Mitras will receive a certificate and official identity card upon successful completion of the training, a government-issued Emergency Responder Kit, an insurance policy for safety during deployment, full arrangements for travel, lodging, meals, and training materials, all facilitated by SDRF Lucknow, officials said.
Time of India
07-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
Delhi Knows The Drill! Ready, If Needed
New Delhi: Operation Abhyaas , a mega civil defence drill, was conducted at 55 locations in the capital on Wednesday, simulating various scenarios such as air raids, fires and rescue operations, among others. As sirens blared, personnel from disaster management , police, fire and health, rushed people to safer places and administered medical aid to the injured. At most places, the drill started at 4pm and concluded within an hour. As part of the drill, the New Delhi Municipal Council implemented a complete power blackout for 15 minutes from 8pm, while power was also cut for a few minutes in areas around the 55 locations where the drill was drill was conducted at schools, colleges, hospitals, Delhi Metro stations, govt installations, shopping malls, residential pockets and commercial areas that see heavy footfall. Some of these included Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport, Rohini Sector 18-19 metro station, Select City Walk mall in Saket, Fortis Hospital in Shalimar Bagh, MCD Civic Centre, Wazirabad water treatment plant, Chandni Chowk market, NDMC office on Sansad Marg, Central Market Lajpat Nagar, DLF Capital Greens housing society at Moti Nagar and the Saket district courts to govt officials, over 12,000 personnel from the Civil Defence, police, fire service and health department along with NCC cadets, participated in the drill. Earlier, 660 schools conducted security drills and awareness programmes to prepare students for emergency situations. Officials said the training of school students was a crucial component of the exercise and would be replicated in other schools in the coming weeks."Kids have no knowledge of an air strike or a blackout. We imparted knowledge about these and the basic protocol that needs to be followed in such scenarios," said an official. "Awareness generation and training of people, which we call capacity building, has to be widespread."Awareness videos prepared by the National Disaster Management Authority and DDMA on what needs to be done during a blackout and air raids were uploaded on social media, which, officials claimed, were watched by lakhs of people. Another official said that 1,800 Aapda Mitras, who are trained in disaster management, helped in the drill on Wednesday."We will now conduct advanced training for the Aapda Mitras for hostile attacks and upgrade their skills in the next few days so they can act as frontline warriors in such situations," said the official. "To make our volunteers better equipped, there will be a focus on procuring specialised sirens that will be centrally controlled, and other gear, apart from the formation of advanced quick response teams."NDMC said in a statement that a complete power blackout lasting 15 minutes was implemented in area under its purview at 8pm. Even streetlights were doused. Only Rashtrapati Bhawan, Prime Minister's House and four hospitals were exempted. "Since the metro runs underground in the area, we decided not to bring it in under the purview of the blackout," said an said notifications were sent to all consumers two hours prior to the blackout. "They were requested to cooperate and make arrangements for an emergency situation. We are thankful to the RWAs and market associations who circulated the message among the masses and made the drill successful," said an Place, Khan Market, Sarojini Nagar and Bengali Market took extra initiatives, asking shopkeepers to switch off emergency lights even as many shops chose to down shutters before 8pm. "The street hawkers too decided not to light their battery lights," claimed the official.
Hans India
22-04-2025
- Climate
- Hans India
3K water ATMs, cooling shelters, ‘Aapda Mitras'
New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister, Heat Action Plan, Rekha Gupta, Water ATMs, Disaster Management, Summer Relief Apart from involving 1,800 National and Delhi Disaster Response volunteers or 'Aapda Mitras', the plan talks of setting up shaded, cooling shelters, opening 3,000-4,000 large water RO units attached to boundary walls of Delhi government schools and office buildings to dispense cold water round-the-clock for five lakh citizens. It also proposes setting up 3,000 water ATMs for the public on PWD roads -- near bus stops and traffic intersections. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the national capital's seasons are often associated with civic woes -- water shortage in summer, pollution in winter and waterlogging in monsoon -- but her government would ensure citizens can enjoy every season without trouble. Repeating her government's commitment to offer relief to heat-struck people, CM Gupta said under the Heat Action Plan, 3000 water coolers or ATMs would be installed -- 1,000 on public roads, 1000 in government buildings and 1,000 in the rural belt. 'We will also seek help from private entities under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives,' she said. The Chief Minister said the Delhi government will regularly issue heat alerts through SMS and social media for the public to take precautions. Besides special heatwave wards in hospitals, Aapda Mitras will also be deputed for anti-heat actions in slums. 'Every life is precious for the nation and the city, and we are committed to saving it,' she said, suggesting measures to help even animals. Earlier, PWD Minister Parvesh Verma said the Delhi government is going to prove its commitment to public welfare through its actions and not just announcements. He said the Delhi government has already launched GPS-linked water tankers to meet the summer crisis and initiated the introduction of new heat-resistant, cool roofs for government buildings, and the experiment will be expanded gradually.
