One Nation One Subscription' Approved: A New Era of Digital Access

On Monday i.e. 25th November 2024, the Union Cabinet authorised the "One Nation One Subscription" (ONOS) initiative, which will give all central and state-run higher education institutions access to famous international journals through a single platform.

The Centre has earmarked Rs 6,000 crore for the program over three years, in line with the Viksit Bharat @ 2047 vision, the National Education Policy 2020, and the Anusandhan National Research Foundation.

The Information and Library Network (INFLIBNET), an autonomous centre under the University Grants Commission, will maintain a national subscription to enable access.

Eight separate library consortia overseen by several ministries provide journal access to higher education institutions under their jurisdiction, while universities frequently subscribe to journals individually. With ONOS, all government-run higher education institutions, including universities, colleges, and institutions of national importance, will have unified access to national and international periodicals in various academic disciplines.

ONOS Scheme Key Feature

• The scheme will include 30 leading international journal publishers.

• Nearly 13,000 e-journals from these publishers will be available to over 6,300 government-run higher education and central R&D institutions.

• ONOS will be implemented through an easy-to-use digital process

• The government has allocated Rs 6,000 crore for the scheme over the years 2025, 2026, and 2027

• A central agency, INFLIBNET, will coordinate the national subscription, benefitting institutions nationwide.

• The Department of Higher Education will set up a unified portal to allow institutions to access the journals.

• State governments will be encouraged to run local campaigns to maximise the usage of this facility by students, faculty, and researchers.
  
  

The Department of Higher Education, in collaboration with other ministries that manage higher education institutions (HEIs) and R&D bodies, will launch extensive Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) campaigns to inform students, faculty, and researchers about the scheme and how to access resources. State governments will also be requested to assist these campaigns to ensure the facility is widely used across all government agencies. 

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