India's first military university

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would lay the foundation stone for India’s first national defence university next month, with final decks cleared for its opening during a meeting chaired by Defence Minister A K Antony. The Indian National Defence University (INDU) would be a fully autonomous institution, located on a 200-acre plot at Binola near Gurgoan in the national capital region of Haryana.

The university is being planned on the lines of IITs and IIMs. The university would have a mandate to provide knowledge-based higher education for management of defence of the country, keeping its participants abreast with emerging security challenges through scholarly research and training. The INDU will be a unique institution of national importance.

An expenditure of Rs. 295 crore would be incurred by the government for setting up the university and another Rs. 162 crore for land acquisition, which is almost done now. It is estimated to take about seven years from foundation stone laying for the INDU to become functional.

Binola was chosen owing to its proximity to the national capital and land availability. The INDU, approved by the Union Cabinet in May 2010, would cater to a large number of international officials and students as well as India’s security leaders, civilians and defence officials for courses and training.