The Maharashtra government has added a civil defence course to the curriculum of engineering colleges under Mumbai University. This move comes after rising security concerns linked to the Indo-Pakistan conflict. The goal is to prepare volunteers who can help in emergencies.
The Directorate of Civil Defence and the University of Mumbai recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding. This made the civil defence course part of the academic programme. The course carries a weight of 25 points.
Students will get training in rescue and life-saving methods. They will also learn how to work with civic and government departments. These include hospitals, fire brigades, and disaster management teams. The training will help them act quickly in emergencies and conflict situations.
The focus on civil defence has increased after recent drills in coastal areas, Pune, Nashik, and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. The goal of these drills was to make the public and volunteers more aware. Around 10,000 volunteers took part. They included members from the Home Guard, NDRF, civil defence, and other groups.
The state is now taking steps to improve the Directorate of Civil Defence. The department is facing many problems. These include a shortage of staff, low daily pay, and a lack of vehicles and equipment.
Only 135 employees are active in the state, even though 420 positions are approved. Some districts, like Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri, have just one full-time officer each.
As per sources, some vehicles are in such poor condition that they are ready to be scrapped. The lack of ambulances, rescue vans, and sirens has made emergency work hard. Currently, volunteers receive a daily payment of INR 150. A proposal has been made to raise this amount to INR 500.
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