One Nation, One Subscription: Enhancing Access to Knowledge
Introduction
The Government of India has launched the One Nation, One Subscription (ONOS) initiative, a significant step towards equitable access to academic resources for educational and research institutions. With a budget of ₹6,000 crore for three years (2025–2027), the scheme aims to provide 13,000 scholarly journals to government-run higher education institutions (HEIs), research bodies, and institutions of national importance through a single subscription platform.
Current Challenges in Journal Access
At present, HEIs rely on various library consortia controlled by different ministries to access journals. Many institutions subscribe to journals individually, leading to duplication, inefficiency, and unequal access. Government estimates suggest that while some HEIs access 8,100 journals, others face significant gaps due to resource limitations.
Features of the ONOS Initiative
ONOS addresses these issues by consolidating journal access into a single platform managed by the INFLIBNET Centre. The government negotiated subscription rates with 30 leading international publishers, including Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley, and IEEE, to secure access to 13,000 journals for all government HEIs. This platform will be operational from January 1, 2025, and institutions can register to access resources conveniently.
If HEIs want journals that are not available on the platform, they can buy them separately. This approach not only ensures equitable access but also reduces redundant expenses and provides better negotiating power to the government.
Need for ONOS
The ONOS initiative aligns with the objectives of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which prioritizes research excellence and innovation as key drivers of national development. The scheme also complements the goals of the National Research Foundation (NRF), which focuses on fostering a robust research ecosystem in India.
The initiative has four primary goals:
- Expand access to scholarly resources for nearly 1.8 crore students, researchers, and faculty across 6,300 institutions.
- Reduce duplication of journal subscriptions and associated costs.
- Ensure better financial deals by consolidating negotiations with publishers.
- Enable the government to track the usage of journals and promote a culture of data-driven decision-making in higher education.
The government successfully reduced the subscription cost from ₹4,000 crore to ₹1,800 crore per year, showcasing the financial efficiency of this initiative.
Future Prospects
The next phase of ONOS includes addressing Article Processing Charges (APCs), which are fees paid by researchers to publish in certain journals. In 2021, Indian researchers spent ₹380 crore on APCs. The government plans to negotiate collective APC rates, similar to the ONOS model, to reduce this financial burden.
Currently, ONOS is limited to government-run HEIs, but discussions are underway to potentially extend the benefits to private institutions.
Conclusion
The ONOS initiative is a groundbreaking reform aimed at democratizing access to knowledge and fostering a culture of research and innovation in India. By reducing costs, ensuring equal access, and promoting resource-sharing, it strengthens the higher education ecosystem. This initiative will play a crucial role in realizing India’s vision of becoming a global leader in education, research, and innovation.
