New Delhi: Today (Thursday) i.e. on May 13, 2010, theUnion Cabinet has given its consent for the setting up of the India’s first National Defence University. Moreover, it has also sanctioned an amount of Rs 295 crore for establishing the Indian National Defence University (INDU), near Delhi. INDU is envisaged tocreate synergy between existing institutes of learning in the sector and address strategic security challenges.
Ambika Soni, Information and Broadcasting Minister has told the reporters that theUnion Cabinet has accorded in-principle approval for setting up of INDU as a fully autonomous institution to be constituted under an act of parliament at an estimated cost of Rs 295 crore. She made the announcement after a cabinet meeting presided over by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today i.e. on May 13.
In addition, she mentioned that the Cabinet also accorded approval for acquisition of 200 acres of land at Binola in Haryana's Gurgaon district 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 the academic community and government functionaries. It will promote policy oriented research on all aspects relating to national security as an input to strategic national policy making.
Furthermore, INDU will encourage awareness of national security issues by reaching out to scholars and an audience beyond the official machinery. It will also teach national security leaders on aspects of national security strategy, national military strategy, national information strategy and national technology strategy through teaching and research. As per sources, the establishment of INDU was one of the recommendations made by a committee headed by eminent security analyst K Subrahmaniam after the 1999 Kargil conflict with Pakistan.
