I had applied before July 6 and did not have plans to travel to India, so I asked CBP about my options. The confirmed that the application would stay active for a year and people who applied before July 6 would be eligible for a refund. They replied the next day, and were more reasonable than I actually expected. Here is the full reply:
Thank you for contacting the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Information Center.
CBP has implemented the ability of Indian Nationals to apply for Global Entry. Information on the process can be found here:
https://www.cbp.gov/travel/trusted-t...ndian-citizens
The Governmnet of India (GOI) has imposed the added requirement of having an interview in India. This was imposed after our initial rollout. Therefore, if you submitted an application prior to July 6, 2017 and cannot complete the GOI requirement, then we are offering you a full refund. If you feel that you can complete it, but it will be many months out, that is fine. Your application will remain active for up to a year until you are able to complete.
Please reply to this email with your name and PASSID, if you want a refund. We will not offer refunds if you submitted an application after July 6, 2017. Refunds take 3-4 weeks to process.
Thank you again for contacting the CBP Information Center.