Gurgaon to have India's first defence varsity

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will lay the foundation stone of the first Indian National Defence University (INDU) here May 23, an official said Saturday.

The INDU will provide for holistic study of defence and strategic security challenges. It will be will be set up at village Binola, 26 km from Gurgaon city in Haryana on National Highway 8.

Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda will attend the foundation-laying ceremony.

Gurggaon Deputy Commissioner P.C. Meena said that the university would be established at an estimated cost of Rs.300 crore on in a 200-acre plot that has been acquired by the state government. He said that Binola has been chosen for its proximity to the national capital.

A large number of students from Indian and foreign security forces and civilian officials would undergo training programmes and courses at INDU every year. One-third of the students will be civilians.

The university will be fully autonomous and will promote policy-oriented research on all aspects of national security as part of the strategic national policy-making.

It will facilitate post-graduate (M.Sc./M.Tech.), master in Philosophy (M.Phil.) and doctorate (Ph.D.) courses in defence studies, defence management and defence science and technology.