Indian Army to train 600 civil defence master trainers for 60,000 volunteers in 12 states and UTs
New Delhi, 23 October 2026: The Ministry of Home Affairs has launched a pilot programme, in coordination with the Indian Army, to train 600 Civil Defence Master Trainers who will subsequently prepare 60,000 Civil Defence volunteers across 12 States and Union Territories. The initiative, announced through the Directorate General of Fire Services, Civil Defence and Home Guards (DGFSCDHG), is intended to strengthen India’s civil defence preparedness against emerging security threats and emergencies.
The programme follows the vision outlined by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day address from the Red Fort on 15 August 2026, when he called for building a vibrant civil defence network with modern systems, technologies and contemporary preparedness capabilities. The new training effort is positioned as an early step towards that broader goal.
In its first phase, 50 Master Trainers from each participating State or Union Territory will undergo a three-day specialised course at designated Indian Army training establishments. The training is scheduled to be completed by the second week of November 2026. The 12 participating jurisdictions are Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Delhi, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
The training curriculum has been divided into three core areas. The first, Threat Awareness, covers modern and hybrid warfare, drone awareness and air-raid threats. The second, Protection and Emergency Response, includes critical infrastructure protection, fire safety, Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) awareness, casualty management, and search and rescue. The third, Communication and Coordination, focuses on emergency communication, cyber hygiene, digital resilience, civil-military coordination and incident command.
A key feature of the programme is its cascading Master Trainer model. After completing the Army-led training, each of the 600 Master Trainers is expected to train 100 Civil Defence volunteers in their own State or Union Territory. The Ministry of Home Affairs said: “This cascading mechanism has the potential to extend specialised preparedness skills to 60,000 Civil Defence Volunteers across the 12 participating States/UTs, thereby significantly expanding the reach and impact of the initiative.”
The stated objective of the pilot is to improve the ability of Civil Defence personnel to respond to contemporary security threats, hostile situations and emergencies. By combining the Indian Army’s operational expertise with the existing Civil Defence volunteer framework, the programme is also aimed at improving civil-military coordination and strengthening institutional preparedness.
The Ministry has said that the results of the pilot phase will inform the expansion of the initiative to the remaining States and Union Territories in a phased manner. The long-term aim is to build a civil defence network that is more robust, responsive and prepared for future contingencies.
The announcement was issued by the Press Information Bureau on 23 October 2026. Multiple media outlets reported the details from the official statement, including the pilot scale, the training schedule, the curriculum focus and the projected reach of 60,000 volunteers.
According to the government, the initiative is designed to modernise India’s civil defence architecture so it can better handle hybrid threats, technological challenges and large-scale emergency response requirements.
