First phase of ‘One Nation One Subscription’ approved: How the scheme can improve govt institutions’ access to journals

First phase of ‘One Nation One Subscription’ approved: How the scheme can improve govt institutions’ access to journals

Sub : Schemes

Sec : Sci

Context:

• The Union Cabinet approved a budget of Rs 6,000 crore for the One Nation One Subscription (ONOS)
• This initiative aims to centralize the access to academic journals for higher education institutions (HEIs) in India, making scholarly resources more equitable and accessible.

About the initiative:

• The primary goal of ONOS is to consolidate access to scholarly journals for nearly 6,300 government-run HEIs, including universities, colleges, and research institutions.
• The initiative will provide access to 13,000 scholarly journals from 30 international publishers through a single platform, effective from January 1, 2025.
• The journals cover a wide range of academic disciplines, and institutions only need to register on the platform to access them.
• The ONOS scheme aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

Current System:

• Currently, HEIs access journals through 10 library consortia managed by various ministries, such as the UGC-Infonet Digital Library Consortium, which provides access to a limited set of journals. Additionally, some HEIs subscribe to journals individually.