National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval met Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the second time within 24 hours on Tuesday, as India sharpens its security response following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. The 40-minute meeting was held at the Prime Minister’s residence, official sources confirmed to India Today.
This consecutive consultation reflects the urgency with which New Delhi is evaluating its strategic and tactical response options. Just a day earlier, Doval and Home Secretary Govind Mohan had joined the Prime Minister for a high-level security review at his official office.
The deadly attack in Pahalgam, which claimed the lives of 26 civilians, has triggered a rapid succession of meetings between the Prime Minister and top defence and security officials.
On Monday, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh briefed PM Modi on the unfolding situation, following a meeting on Sunday with Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, who presented an assessment of the threat environment. On Saturday, Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi had also updated the Prime Minister on maritime security conditions in the Arabian Sea.
In response to the escalating threat, Prime Minister Modi last week granted the Indian armed forces "complete operational freedom" to determine the timing, targets, and method of India’s retaliation. He emphasised the nation’s firm resolve to deliver a “crushing blow to terrorism.”
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As part of a broader national readiness effort, the Union Home Ministry has instructed all states and Union Territories to conduct full-scale mock drills on Wednesday, May 7. These exercises are part of a civil defence strategy aimed at preparing for “new and complex threats.”
The drills will span 244 civil defence districts and include the activation of air-raid sirens, evacuation rehearsals, testing of communication channels—including radio and hotline links with the Indian Air Force—and the setup of main and shadow control rooms.
“In the current geo-political scenario, new and complex threats/challenges have emerged. Hence, it would be prudent that optimum civil defence preparedness in the states/UTs is maintained at all times,” the Directorate General of Fire Services, Civil Defence and Home Guards said in an official letter.
The nationwide preparedness drills are designed to reach down to the village level and will involve a wide array of participants, including civil defence wardens, volunteers, home guards, National Cadet Corps (NCC), National Service Scheme (NSS), Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS), and school and college students.
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