On January 1 2025, the Ministry of Education(MoE) launched first phase of the ‘One Nation, One Subscription (ONOS)’, a Central Sector Scheme (CSS), aims to provide access to world-class scholarly articles and journals for government-run Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and Central Government (CG) Research and Development (R&D) centers across India.
About One Nation, One Subscription (ONOS):
The scheme was approved by the Government of India(GoI) in November 2024, with a budget of Rs 6,000 crore allocated for its implementation over three years, from 1st January 2025 to 31st December 2027.
- The ONOS initiative aligns with the vision of the Prime Minister (PM) of India, Narendra Modi, to enhance the nation’s innovation capabilities. In his Independence Day 2022 address, he introduced the slogan “Jai Anusandhan” emphasizing the need to boost research and development (R&D).
- The scheme aligns with the goals of Viksitbharat@2047 and the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which prioritizes the creation of a research-oriented educational framework.
About ONOS phase I :
i.The ONOS phase I is coordinated by INFLIBNET (Information and Library Network), an Inter-University Centre based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat under the University Grants Commission (UGC), operating under the MoE.
- Access to journals will be facilitated through a dedicated web portal managed by the INFLIBNET Centre.
- During the phase I period, it 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.
ii.All journals will be available through a digital platform, making access easy and convenient while reducing administrative challenges.
iii.The subscription fees for journals from 30 publishers under ONOS Phase I will be centrally managed by INFLIBNET. Institutions not covered in Phase I will continue with their independent subscriptions.
iv.Additionally, the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) will periodically review the usage of the ONOS initiative and assess the publications by Indian authors from participating institutions.
Note: The Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) was established through the ANRF Act, 2023, with the purpose of offering strategic guidance in the areas of research, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
v.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.
Key Features:
i.A key feature of the ONOS initiative is the provision of discounts on Article Processing Charges (APCs), which are typically required by publishers for publishing research articles.
- By negotiating reduced APC rates with publishers, the scheme will enable Indian researchers to publish their work in top-tier journals without facing high financial burden.
ii.The Phase I ONOS initiative benefits approximately 1.8 crore students, faculty, and researchers across various fields, including STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), Medicine, Social Sciences, Finance, and Accounts).
iii. Additionally, ONOS allocates Rs 150 crore annually to support researchers in publishing their work in high-quality Open Access (OA) journals.
iv.The scheme ensures equitable access to research resources for institutions in tier 2 and tier 3 cities, helping bridge the gap in knowledge availability.
About Ministry of Education (MoE):
Union Minister– Dharmendra Pradhan (Constituency- Sambalpur, Odisha)
Minister of State (MoS)- Jayant Chaudhary (Constituency- Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, UP) Sukanta Majumdar (Constituency- Balurghat, West Bengal, WB)
