India, May 6 -- India gears up for a nationwide civil defence mock drill scheduled for Wednesday (May 7), with one of the directives stating "provision for crash blackout measures." The exercise comes as the tensions with Pakistan rise following the deadly Pahalgam terror attack.

Among the key measures to be carried out during the mock drills is a 'crash blackout', which constitutes an emergency shutdown of lights and visible infrastructure designed to reduce the visibility of targets during potential air raids.

Blackouts are implemented during air raids by enemy planes to minimise casualties and damage, and are designed to act as a safeguard against sudden raids.

According to a 2003 document, General Principles of Civil Defence in Ind...