Finally, government approves national defence university

NEW DELHI - Nearly a decade after a recommendation by a group of ministers, the government Thursday approved “in-principle” the setting up of an autonomous defence university in Gurgaon to help synergise and craft strategic planning and analyses keeping in view the country’s geopolitical objectives and national security.

“The union cabinet accorded ‘in-principle’ approval for setting up of the Indian National Defence University (INDU) as a fully autonomous institution to be constituted under an act of parliament,” an official statement said.

The decision to create INDU at an estimated cost of Rs.295 crore “at current price level” was taken at a cabinet committee meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The cabinet also accorded approval for acquisition of 200 acres of land at Binola in Gurgaon, on the outskirts of the national capital, for the proposed site of INDU at an estimated cost of Rs.100 crore.

“INDU will undertake long term defence and strategic studies and create synergy between academic community and government. (It) will educate national security leaders on aspects of national security strategy, national military strategy, national information strategy and national technology strategy through teaching and research,” the statement said.

“It will also promote policy oriented research on all aspect relating to national security as an input to strategic national policy making,” the statement added.

The approval comes almost a decade after a group of ministers in 2001 had recommended INDU’s creation for a synergy between academicians and government on defence and strategic issues.

The US, China and several other countries already have institutions like INDU for a robust strategic thinking and research culture between academia and government.