The Union Cabinet of India, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the One Nation One Subscription (ONOS) scheme, aimed at providing nationwide digital access to scholarly research articles and journal publications.
₹6,000 crore corpus
With an allocation of ₹6,000 crore, this initiative seeks to eliminate financial barriers for students and researchers by centralizing subscription costs. Global publishers have already agreed to participate, following the successful completion of a pilot project.
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw emphasized the scheme’s importance, stating, “For youth and students, one of the biggest decisions taken today is the One Nation One Subscription. We all know that high-quality publications needed for research are very costly. The PM has transformed this by making resources from all universities common. World-famous journals will be brought, subscriptions taken, and access provided to all educational institutions in the country.” The estimated cost of this initiative is around ₹6,000 crore.
Realizing the vision of an Atmanirbhar Bharat with One Nation One Subscription
Prime Minister Modi, in his Independence Day address on August 15, 2022, from the Red Fort, highlighted the significance of research and development during India’s Amrit Kaal. He had called for a focus on innovation with the slogan Jai Anusandhan.” The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 also recognizes research as fundamental to achieving excellence in education and development, aligning with the establishment of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation by the Indian government.
The ONOS scheme is a step towards realizing the vision of an Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) and Viksit Bharat@2047 (developed India by 2047). It will benefit approximately 1.8 crore students, faculty, researchers, and scientists across disciplines, including those in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, thereby fostering interdisciplinary and core research.
One Nation One Subscription to provide subscriptions to nearly 13,000 e-journal
The initiative includes subscriptions to nearly 13,000 e-journals published by 30 major international journal publishers. These will now be accessible to over 6,300 government higher education and R&D institutions through a national subscription. Access will be coordinated by the Information and Library Network (INFLIBNET), an autonomous center under the University Grants Commission (UGC), via a fully digital process.
The scheme has been allocated ₹6,000 crore as a Central Sector Scheme for three calendar years—2025, 2026, and 2027. It aims to enhance India’s standing in the global research ecosystem by simplifying research accessibility for government institutions’ students and researchers.
How will ONOS help you?
ONOS was proposed under India’s fifth draft of the Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy (STIP) 2020 by the Ministry of Education. Its goal is to provide fixed-cost, centrally negotiated access to scientific publications, with the government directly paying publishers. The scheme proposes purchasing 3,000 to 4,000 high-impact journals, with an estimated budget of ₹2,000–₹3,000 crore. A Science, Technology, and Innovation Observatory will be established to store the generated data, which will be made available to publicly funded research under FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) principles.
An analysis by Duke University in 2018 highlighted the need for such initiatives, noting that 59 of the 100 most-cited research articles were behind paywalls, with an average cost of $33.41 (approximately ₹2,285 in 2018) per article for unaffiliated researchers. Indian institutions and individuals spent about ₹1,500 crore on journal subscriptions in 2018, a cost expected to reduce significantly under the ONOS scheme.
Alternatives to the subscription model
Growing alternatives to the subscription model include the use of preprints—manuscripts not yet submitted to journals. Although preprints are not peer-reviewed, post-publication peer reviews can provide quality assurance. Another alternative is the Gold Open Access (OA) model, where journals charge an article processing fee (APC) to authors instead of requiring subscriptions from readers.
ONOS is a timely step towards democratizing access to academic knowledge and bolstering India’s research infrastructure.
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