Why in news?

The Union Cabinet has allocated ₹6,000 crore for the 'One Nation One Subscription' initiative.

This program aims to centralize journal subscriptions for approximately 6,300 government-run higher education institutions (HEIs), providing equitable access to 13,000 scholarly journals through a unified platform. It seeks to enhance academic resource availability across India.

What’s in today’s article?

• Current Access to Journals in HEIs
• What is One Nation One Subscription initiative?
• Benefits of the ONOS Initiative

Current Access to Journals in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs)

• Library Consortia System
  • HEIs access journals through 10 library consortia managed by various ministries.
  • Library consortia are collaborations among libraries to share resources and meet common needs.
  • E.g., INFLIBNET Centre in Gandhinagar, under the Ministry of Education, manages the UGC-Infonet Digital Library Consortium.
  • This consortium provides access to selected scholarly electronic journals and databases across disciplines.
• Individual Subscriptions
  • HEIs also subscribe to journals independently, supplementing consortium-based access.
• Access Statistics
  • Currently, around 2,500 HEIs have access to approximately 8,100 journals through consortia and individual subscriptions.

What is One Nation One Subscription (ONOS) initiative?

• Background
  • Prime Minister Modi's 2022 Independence Day address emphasized the importance of research and development for India’s progress, calling for “Jai Anusandhan” to drive innovation and scientific exploration.
  • Aligned with this vision, the National Education Policy (2020) highlights research as a key driver for educational and national excellence.
  • The establishment of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) underscores the government's commitment to fostering a strong research culture.
  • Building on these initiatives, the Union Cabinet has approved the ONOS scheme, granting nationwide access to international research articles and scholarly journals.
• Objective
  • The ONOS scheme aims to streamline and centralize journal access for all state and central government HEIs, replacing the fragmented system currently in place.
• Implementation Timeline
  • The platform will go live on January 1, 2025, consolidating access to thousands of journals under a single system.
• Key Features:
  • Access to 13,000 Journals: Journals from 30 international publishers, including Elsevier Science Direct, Springer Nature, Wiley, Taylor & Francis, IEEE, and more, will be available.
  • Unified Registration: HEIs will need to register on the platform to access the journals.
  • Implementing Agency: Information and Library Network Centre (INFLIBNET) Centre has been designated as the implementing authority.
  • Funding and Pricing: The central government has allocated ₹6,000 crore for the initiative covering three years (2025–2027).
    • A single subscription price was negotiated with each publisher for all institutions.
  • Additional Subscriptions: HEIs seeking access to journals beyond the 13,000 available can continue subscribing to them individually.
  • Dedicated portal: A dedicated portal, “One Nation One Subscription,” will serve as the gateway for institutions to access these resources.
• Role of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF)
  • The access and usage of subscription will be regularly monitored by the ANRF.
  • It will also contribute to the expansion of publications by Indian authors in participating.
• Plans for future expansion
  • The first phase included all 6,300 Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and research institutes under both central and state governments.
  • In the second phase, the government plans to expand this to the remaining higher education institutions in the country, both public and private.
  • Phase 3 will expand the access of ONOS to the entire country.

Benefits of the ONOS Scheme

• Broader Access to Scholarly Resources
  • Expands access to top-tier scholarly journals for 1.8 crore students, faculty, and researchers across approximately 6,300 government HEIs, including those in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.
  • Extending benefits to students residing in tier-2 and tier-3 cities will help in reducing the knowledge gap between urban and rural students.
• Elimination of Resource Duplication
  • Avoids overlapping subscriptions across various library consortia and institutions, reducing excess expenditure on duplicate resources.
• Enhanced Bargaining Power
  • Consolidates subscription under one platform, allowing the government to negotiate better deals with publishers.
    • Example: Negotiations reduced the initial cost of ₹4,000 crore per year for 13,000 journals to ₹1,800 crore annually.
• Data-Driven Utilization and Planning
• Enables the Centre to monitor journal usage across HEIs, aiding long-term planning and promoting better utilization of resources in inactive institutions.
• Alignment with national goals
  • The scheme aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), and the government's Viksit Bharat@2047 vision.