Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia unveiled the ‘Cell Broadcast Alert System’ on Saturday, developed with the support of the National Disaster Management Authority. This system, guided by Union Minister Amit Shah, aims to provide real-time critical information on disasters, emergencies, and public safety directly to mobile phones. A nationwide test of the system was successfully conducted, where mobile users received emergency alert messages along with a beep sound on their devices.
The initiative is a significant move towards ensuring prompt and effective information dissemination during natural disasters and emergency situations. The indigenous mobile emergency alert system is currently undergoing pan-India testing through flash SMS messages issued by the NDMA. These alerts, delivered with a loud alarm tone and a flashing message, are transmitted through the Integrated Alert System ‘SACHET’, developed by the Centre for Development of Telematics.
Officials highlighted that the alerts cover various disaster and emergency scenarios, including tsunamis, earthquakes, lightning strikes, and man-made hazards like gas leaks. The system, based on the Common Alerting Protocol, is designed to target specific areas with relevant alerts. Following rigorous testing phases to ensure performance and reliability, the system is set to be operationalized nationwide, offering emergency alerts in multiple Indian languages across all mobile devices.
