National defence varsity bill in Parliament soon

 A bill proposing the establishment of Indian National Defence University (INDU), a unique and specialised institute, is likely to be introduced in the coming session of Parliament.

“The university will strive to fill gaps in strategic planning and analysis and will form policies keeping in mind the nation long-term geo-political goals,” senior army officers told Deccan Herald.

Although the Cabinet had cleared the proposal about two years ago, various nuances are being worked out. Officials in the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said the bill is now more of less ready to be introduced in Parliament.

While the land for the main campus has already been identified in Gurgaon, officers in the know said that campuses are also being planned in Bangalore and Hyderabad in the coming years.

“The university will have its own constitution and will not be affiliated to another like the National Defence Academy (NDA) and others institutions are,” another official said. The NDA, for example, is affiliated to Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Delhi. The university, in line with those in the US and China, will be fully autonomous under an act of Parliament.

The NDA, National Defence College, College of Defence Management and the Defence Services Staff College will all be brought under the ambit of INDU, which will have a full-fledged faculty, including many civilians who have experience in international relations, policy making and defence studies.

The faculty will be responsible to help those enrolled undertake long-term defence and strategic studies. “The aim is to create a synergy between academics, the government and to educate security leaders on every aspect of national strategy, keeping in mind international relations among other things,” the officer said.