Prime Minister Manmohan Singh laid the foundation stone of Indian National Defence University (INDU) at Binola village in Gurgaon district on Thursday.
Dubbing the event as the first step towards enhancing India’s strategic thinking he said, “It (the University) is meant to provide an avenue for our soldiers to think beyond the physical arts of war and for our thinkers and policymakers to understand the complexities of war and conflict. Those who pass through the portals of this university will need to track regional and global trends, new and emerging technologies and developments in defence capabilities and strategies.”
INDU, an idea floated over four decades ago, will be instituted by an act of parliament with the Defence Minister as its Chancellor and the President of India would act as the Visitor. It will be set up as a fully autonomous institution.
The university will be headed by a president also its vice-chancellor, who would be an officer in the rank of the Army Commander or equivalent from the IAF or the Navy.
It aims to develop and propagate higher education in defence studies, defence management and defence science and technology and promote policy-oriented research related to defence.
Noting that India faces the entire spectrum of security challenges, Prime Minister Singh said, “We have also sought to assume our responsibility for stability in the Indian Ocean Region. We are well positioned, therefore, to become a net provider of security in our immediate region and beyond.”
Four new colleges will be set up under the varsity at its Binola Campus — National College of Defence Studies (NCDS), Indian Institute of Defence Technology (IIDT), Indian Institute of Defence Management (IIDM) and Defence Institute of Distance & Open Learning (DIDOL).
Sixty-six percent of the students in the University would be from the armed forces and 33 percent students would be drawn from among civilians, police and other government agencies.
