One Nation One Subscription Scheme Set to Revolutionize Academia, Empower Students & Researchers

New Delhi, Nov 27 (ANI): The government has approved the "One Nation One Subscription" (ONOS) scheme, which aims to provide centralized access to research articles and journals for universities and R&D laboratories nationwide. The scheme is set to launch on January 1.

The ONOS scheme is designed to position India as a global research hub for research, learning, and knowledge while fostering interdisciplinary studies. It will also help bridge the gap in the access of academic resources, enabling quality research and innovation.

The total outlay for the project is Rs 6,000 crore until 2027. The benefit will be available to all higher education institutions under central or state governments as well as R&D laboratories.

According to a report by The Hindu, India spent around Rs 1,500 crore on subscription for electronic and print journals in 2018, with institutions spending an additional Rs 30-50 crore on access to popular citation databases.

The ONOS scheme aims to replace individual institutional journal subscriptions, providing central payments coordinated by INFLIBNET. This will include major international publishers such as Elsevier ScienceDirect, Springer Nature, and Wiley Blackwell Publishing.

The scheme will cater to universities and colleges that have been unable to afford comprehensive subscriptions of qualitative journals, while also covering research and development institutions under the central government.

"This scheme is expected to support youth empowerment by democratising access to global knowledge," a source said. It will also encourage interdisciplinary studies on a shared platform for collaborative research across disciplines.

The initiative was recommended as part of the Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy 2020 to facilitate knowledge-sharing on an "equal partnership basis".

A core committee comprising officials from the Ministry of Education and Department of Science and Technology has been formed to implement ONOS. It will include representatives from government academic and R&D institutions.

The scheme is set to replace individual and fragmented subscription models, making them more efficient and cost-effective.

According to Subhas Sarkar, a former minister of state for the Education Ministry, the government spent around Rs 995 crore on journal subscriptions in 2022.