The One Nation One Subscription (ONOS) scheme, approved by the Union Cabinet on 25th Nov 2024 and touted as a cornerstone of India’s ambition to become a self-reliant and developed nation by 2047, starts from this month. The ₹6,000 crore have been allocated for ONOS to ensure smooth implementation of ONOS from 1st January 2025 to 31st December 2027.
ONOS seeks to break down barriers to knowledge by providing all students, faculty, researchers, and scientists across the nation’s government higher education institutions (HEIs) and central government R&D centres with access to international scholarly journals and articles. The scheme’s objective is to provide all eligible students, faculty, researchers, and scientists with access to top-tier international research articles and journals. It covers more than 6,300 government-managed higher education institutions and central government-managed research and development institutions across the country. The goal is to ensure that India’s academic and research communities are equipped with the best global resources, fostering innovation and enhancing the quality of research across disciplines.
The entire subscription process will be centrally coordinated by INFLIBNET (Information and Library Network), an autonomous inter-university centre under the University Grants Commission (UGC). INFLIBNET will manage the distribution of digital access to these journals, ensuring a seamless experience for users.
- ONOS phase I, starting from 1 January 2025, will provide access to over 13,000 journals for more than 6,300 government academic and R&D institutes including central and state-govt universities and colleges. This translates to nearly 1.8 Crore students, faculty and researchers getting access to high quality research publications.
- The subscription charges for journals from 30 publishers under ONOS Phase I will be centrally paid by INFLIBNET, covering payments from library consortia, HEIs, and R&D institutions under central ministries. Independent subscriptions will continue for resources not included in Phase I. This phase will establish the program’s framework and ensure that key research resources are made available to a large number of institutions across India.
- Payment of Article Processing Charges (APC) to publishers for selected high quality research publications of the researchers from these participating institutions have also been envisaged in this phase. Experience of ONOS phase I will be used for designing subsequent phases of ONOS.
- Digital Access: Journals will be accessible entirely through a digital platform, ensuring convenience and ease for all users. This approach minimises administrative complexities and makes access available on-demand.
- Government Allocation: A total of ₹6,000 crore has been allocated for the PM-ONOS initiative, covering three years—2025, 2026, and 2027. The funding will cover the subscription charges for all participating institutions across the three-year period. Further, ONOS will also provide central funding support of Rs. 150 Crore per year for beneficiary authors to publish in selected good quality Open Access (OA) journals.
The scheme provides:
- Access to more than 13,000 scholarly journals from 30 major international publishers.
- Benefits about 1.8 crore students, faculty, and researchers across disciplines such as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics), Medicine, Social Sciences, Finance & Accounts, etc.
- Inclusive access to research for institutions in tier 2 and tier 3 cities, ensuring equitable access to knowledge.
Key Objectives and Goals:
- Access to Scholarly Knowledge: The scheme provides access to high-quality scholarly journals and publications across various fields. This aims to democratise access to knowledge to enhance the research capabilities of students, faculty, and researchers.
- Inclusion of Diverse Institutions: The scheme ensures that institutions, regardless of their geographic location—in urban centres or remote areas—have access to world-class research resources. This is crucial for advancing core and interdisciplinary research in the country.
- Global Research Participation: It aligns with the goals of Viksitbharat@2047, helping India to emerge as a global leader in research and development by enabling its academic and research institutions to engage with international scholarly communities.
Impact on Research in HEIs:
India, a land of ancient knowledge and rich tradition, has always been a beacon of innovation and discovery. From pioneering advancements in mathematics and astronomy to groundbreaking contributions in various fields of science, the country’s legacy of intellectual achievement is unmatched. On August 15, 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, from the ramparts of the Red Fort, reminded the nation of this proud legacy and the critical role that Research and Development (R&D) would play in shaping India’s future. As he addressed the nation, he emphasized the importance of nurturing R&D capabilities, particularly during Amrit Kaal, and called for a renewed focus on innovation with the inspiring slogan, “Jai Anusandhan.”
This call for a vibrant R&D ecosystem resonated with the goals outlined in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which identifies research as a fundamental driver of educational excellence and national progress. The policy seeks to cultivate a robust research culture that not only enhances academic quality but also accelerates India’s growth on the global stage.
The One Nation One Subscription initiative is a game-changing scheme for India’s research ecosystem. By providing digital access to over 13,000 journals from 30 international publishers, it will bridge gaps in research infrastructure across India. Through its phased implementation, the scheme will significantly contribute to enhancing India’s academic and research excellence, fostering innovation, and helping the country emerge as a global hub for scientific research.
By leveraging existing consortia initiatives of 10 central government Ministries and Departments as well as initiatives of many government higher education institutions, an unifying approach through the one nation one subscription will democratise knowledge dissemination and empower a new generation of researchers and students, providing them with the resources they need to excel.
ONOS is a key part of a broader vision to transform access to knowledge in the country. As the first step in a multi-pronged approach, it expands access through the widely used subscription model. The other steps focus initially on promoting Indian journals and repositories and then introducing new research evaluation methods that consider both journal metrics and factors like innovation and entrepreneurship.
