Indian National Defence University
Indian National Defence University (INDU) is a defence service university set up for the affiliation of training academies of union government defence servants working under the Government of India. These union government defence servants can collectively be termed as generalist branch of the Indian Armed Forces. It is located at Binola village in Gurugram district of Haryana state in India that is being built. It is proposed to be one of the Institutes of National Importance (INIs). It was first proposed in 1967, but is unlikely to become operational in the foreseeable future, despite periodic optimism . As of January 2020, only the perimeter road and boundary walls have been constructed, the construction of the main building and teaching infrastructure could not commence until the "Indian National Defence University (INDU) Act, 2015" is passed, which is still awaiting approval from the Union Cabinet and the Parliament of India in the form of a draft bill. It is located on the eastern flank of Delhi–Jaipur Expressway (NH 48), just southwest of Pachgaon Chowk on Western Peripheral Expressway, nearly southwest of National Security Guard base, northwest of Heritage Transport Museum, southwest of Gurugram CBD, and southwest of IGI  International Airport. NHAI has established a bus bay for the university at NH48. History. The idea for this autonomous institution was initially conceived in 1967, strongly recommended by "Sethna Committee" in 1980 and the 1999 Kargil War Review Committee, as well as the "Group Minister's report on reforming national security system" in 2001 recommended its establishment to then Home Minister L. K. Advani, and also by K. Subrahmanyam, the proposal was approved by the Union Cabinet in 2010, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh laid the foundation stone of the Indian National Defence University (INDU) at Binola in Gurgaon on  23 May 2013. Draft bill was put online in August 2016 for the public consultation, but no progress has been made since then as the bill is still awaiting approval from the Union Cabinet and the Parliament of India. As of September 2019, there is no evidence that the university will ever open, despite earlier optimism. "The country certainly needs a ‘world-class’ INDU to inject some much-needed strategic culture in governance as well as encourage robust cross-linkages between the executive and academia. Almost all major countries, from the US to China, have national defence [uni]varsities (sic) to  develop national security leaders as well as undertake long-term strategic studies and threat assessments." The university. Objectives. The INDU aims to undertake the following: The much needed pending three reforms for the national security and military readiness are the integrated tri services operational commands under the Chief of Defence Staff, the make in India indigenous defence manufacturing, and the reform in military education in India. While some progress has been made towards the first two, but the reforms in military education in India are still lacking. The current military training in India trains officers with "narrow professional skills to  command companies, battalions and brigades, or perform staff duties at various levels, there is practically no attempt to give the officers a sense of the larger contexts – strategic, political and international – in which the armed forces function. It is only at the highest training establishment, the National Defence College, that senior one-star officers get exposed to some of these issues. This is too little and too late. This outmoded approach to training impacts the quality of human capital at all levels in the services. Yet, no government has paid serious attention to this. The fate of the long-heralded  Indian National Defence University is symptomatic of the political leadership’s neglect of this crucial area." Administration. This autonomous University will be instituted by the Act of the Parliament of India, and President of India will be a Visitor, and the Defence Minister will be the Chancellor. INDU will be governed as per its own norms and will be responsible to promote coordination and interaction between Institutions of Armed Forces or establishments of the country. Defence training institutions will be affiliated to award degrees. The institute will be headed by a President, who will be a three-star serving General  or equivalent officer with C-in-C status on appointment, and a Vice-President, who will be a civilian. The university formed on the lines of Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) and Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) will have the teaching faculty composed of military personnel and civilians in the ratio of 1:1. Constituent units. The university will have the following constituent units: Affiliated institutes of Indian armed forces. Following existing institutes will be affiliated to the university: Courses. At least 66% students will be from the Indian Armed Forces and the remaining 33% will be from the Paramilitary forces  of India, Police in India and civilians. The university will offer doctoral and post-doctoral research, post-graduate studies as well as higher studies through distance learning to military and civilians. War and peace courses will include strategic thinking, Chinese studies, Eurasian studies, Southeast Asian studies, neighborhood studies, international security and national security strategy, maritime security studies, wargaming and military simulation, joint logistics, counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism and material acquisition. Campus. The 205 acres and 15 marla land for the campus was acquired by the Haryana government and handed over to the Ministry of Defence in September 2012 and  found stone was laid in April 2013. Of the 205 acre 15 marla land, 2 acre 3 kanal 9.5 marla was transferred to the revenue department of Haryana Government for building a road to provide access to the farmers from NH8 to their farm land, thus leaving 202 acres, 5 kanal and 5.5 marla for the university campus. However, Bhumi Puja was held in 2018 during which Air Marshal A.S. Bhonsle of Integrated Defence Staff laid the first brick for the commencement of construction of boundary wall, perimeter road, watch towers and guard rooms, construction of which has been completed  as of December 2019 but the construction of buildings has not yet started, "only five to seven army officials visit the site every Sunday with two security guards looking after the area". Then Union Minister of state for defence, Subhash Bhamre, had told the Lok Sabha in 2016 that "the construction work on the project will start once the Indian National Defence University (INDU) Act, 2015, is passed by Parliament", which is still pending approval from the union cabinet and the national parliament.