India Launches 'One Nation One Subscription' Scheme for Nationwide Access to International Scholarly Journals

New Delhi: The Indian government has launched a groundbreaking initiative called "One Nation One Subscription" (ONOS) aimed at providing students, faculty, and researchers across the country with seamless access to a vast array of international scholarly journals. Beginning from January 2025, this scheme will revolutionize academic research in India by offering nationwide access to high-quality global research articles.

The ONOS scheme has been launched with an allocation of Rs 6,000 crore for three calendar years—2025, 2026, and 2027. This funding part of a new Central Sector Scheme is designed to provide extensive access to academic journals and foster research across government-run higher education and research institutions in India.

According to the scheme's details, students, faculty, and researchers at all Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) managed by the central and state governments as well as Research and Development Institutions under the central government will benefit from this initiative. The ONOS platform is set to begin on January 1, 2025, and will offer journal access through a national subscription managed by INFLIBNET, the Information and Library Network Centre under the University Grants Commission (UGC).

The scheme is expected to benefit nearly 1.8 crore individuals, including students, faculty, researchers, and scientists from all disciplines, particularly those in tier 2 and tier 3 cities. Students will have access to top-tier international journals, encouraging research in both core and interdisciplinary fields.

The ONOS initiative includes nearly 13,000 e-journals from 30 leading international publishers such as Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley Blackwell, Taylor & Francis, and Oxford University Press. These journals will be accessible to over 6,300 government-run higher education and research institutions, offering extensive resources for academic growth.

Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) will monitor and periodically assess the usage of ONOS, including the publication output from Indian authors in the journals provided through the scheme.

With this initiative, India is set to become a hub for global academic research, promoting a culture of innovation and collaboration among students, faculty, and researchers across the country.