The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,
has approved the groundbreaking One Nation One Subscription (ONOS) scheme
yesterday. This initiative strives to bolster India’s research and development
ecosystem, will provide nationwide access to international scholarly research
papers and journals to students, faculty, and researchers across
government-managed higher education institutions and research facilities.
With a funding of ₹6,000 crore for three calendar
years—2025, 2026, and 2027—this Central Sector Scheme is set to alter the
educational landscape by providing equitable access to high-quality research
resources for over 1.8 crore people, including those in tier 2 and tier 3
cities.
ONOS builds on the vision summarized by Prime Minister Modi
during his Independence Day speech in 2022, where he highlighted the
significance of research and innovation under the slogan "Jai
Anusandhan." The scheme aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP)
2020 and complements the efforts of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation
(ANRF) to encourage a research-oriented culture in the country.
This measure encompasses access to nearly 13,000 e-journals
published by 30 prominent international publishers. The Information and Library
Network (INFLIBNET), an independent inter-university center under the
University Grants Commission (UGC), will coordinate access to these resources
through a fully digital process.
ONOS strives to democratize learning by making world-class
academic resources accessible to more than 6,300 government higher education
and R&D institutions. This unprecedented move is predicted to promote
interdisciplinary research and innovation across all disciplines.
The advantages of the scheme will reach students, faculty,
and researchers from central and state government-managed institutions,
bridging the urban-rural divide in research opportunities. The scheme's unified
digital portal will facilitate access, assuring ease of use for beneficiaries.
The scheme represents an important step toward India’s
vision of becoming a self-reliant and developed nation by 2047. By enabling
access to global research, ONOS will improve India’s participation in the
international knowledge ecosystem and push impactful research outcomes.
The ANRF will monitor the scheme’s usage and evaluate its
effect by reviewing the research contributions of Indian authors from
beneficiary organizations. The Department of Higher Education, along with other
ministries and state governments, will conduct awareness campaigns to maximize
the scheme's utilization.
This proactive initiative highlights the government’s
promise to advancing education and research, ensuring that every student,
faculty member, and researcher has the means to succeed in the modern knowledge
economy. (PR)