One Nation One Subscription Scheme for Students

Imagine being a university student in India, eager to dive into cutting-edge research but stuck behind expensive journal paywalls. For millions, this was reality—until the One Nation One Subscription (ONOS) scheme changed the game. Launched on January 1, 2025, with a ₹6,000 crore budget, ONOS grants 1.8 crore students free access to over 13,000 international journals.

From master’s scholars to PhD researchers, ONOS is revolutionizing education. With India’s academic market soaring to $225 billion by 2025, discover how ONOS empowers students, bridges knowledge gaps, and fuels careers in AI, biotech, and beyond!

What is the ONOS Scheme?

The One Nation One Subscription (ONOS) project, sanctioned by the Union Cabinet on November 25, 2024, is a revolutionary Central Sector effort. It provides seamless, nationwide access to scholarly e-journals for students, faculty, and researchers across 6,300+ government-run higher education institutions (HEIs) and R&D labs.

Coordinated by the Information and Library Network (INFLIBNET) under the UGC, ONOS allocates ₹6,000 crore for 2025–2027 to secure subscriptions from 30 global publishers like Elsevier and Springer Nature.

Aligned with NEP 2020 and Viksit Bharat @2047, it benefits 1.8 crore users, especially in tier-2 and tier-3 cities, fostering research in STEM, humanities, and interdisciplinary fields.

From Paywalls to Free Access: The Student Struggle Before ONOS

• Cost Barriers: HEIs spent ₹1,500 crore annually on fragmented subscriptions, limiting access to 8,100 journals for just 2,500 institutions. Students at smaller colleges, like those in Faridabad, often had zero access.
• Resource Inequality: Elite institutes like IITs subscribed to niche journals, while tier-2/3 colleges relied on outdated or pirated resources, stunting research.
• Career Impact: Many students in tier I and II cities struggled to access academic journals and research papers, delaying projects and weakening job prospects in India’s multiple sectors.

The Goldmine of Resources Now Available

ONOS unlocks a vast array of academic resources:

• 13,000+ E-Journals: Spans STEM, medicine, social sciences, humanities, and management from publishers like Wiley, Taylor & Francis, and Oxford University Press.
• Broad Disciplines: Supports core and interdisciplinary studies, from AI algorithms for computer science to precision farming for agriculture students.
• Nationwide Reach: Benefits 6,380 institutions, including 451 state universities and 172 institutes of national importance, ensuring rural students access global knowledge.
• Research Impact: A BTech student used ONOS to access IEEE journals, publishing a paper on IoT, enhancing their resume for tech roles.

Step-by-Step: How to Access ONOS Resources

Accessing ONOS is user-friendly and digital:

1. Check Eligibility: Confirm your institution is among the 6,300+ government-funded HEIs or R&D labs via the AISHE portal.
2. Register on ONOS Portal: Access onos.gov.in, administered by INFLIBNET. Use your institutional ID or static IP for seamless access.
3. Explore Journals: Log in to browse 13,000+ e-journals by topic, publisher, or keyword (e.g., “machine learning in healthcare”).
4. Download Content: Save articles for offline study or project citations. No extra subscriptions required.
5. Get Help: Email support@onos.gov.in with your institute’s details and nodal officer contact for assistance.

How India is Leading the Open Access Movement

ONOS positions India as a pioneer in open access:

• Unprecedented Scale: Serving 1.8 crore users, ONOS surpasses smaller consortia like Europe’s Plan S, setting a global standard.
• Equity-Driven: Extends access to tier-2/3 cities, unlike elite-focused models. Rural BTech students now study alongside urban peers.
• APC Funding: ₹150 crore yearly subsidizes Article Processing Charges (APCs), easing publication costs for 60-70% subscription-based journals.
• Global Influence: India’s national licensing model challenges Western publishers’ 30%+ profit margins, advocating fair pricing.

Aligned with NEP 2020, ONOS inspires nations like South Africa to explore similar initiatives, cementing India’s knowledge leadership.

Challenges & Criticisms: Is the Scheme Perfect?

ONOS isn’t without flaws:

• Cost Concerns: Critics highlight the ₹6,000 crore budget (₹2,000 crore/year) exceeds earlier estimates (₹1,500 crore), risking long-term publisher lock-in.
• Connectivity Gaps: Tier-2/3 institutions face unreliable internet, limiting ONOS access for some rural students.
• Private Exclusion: Phase 1 omits 28,000+ private colleges, restricting access for many.
• Publisher Control: Dependence on Western publishers, who retain copyrights, raises concerns, as seen in Elsevier’s AI training debates.
• Awareness Deficit: Without robust campaigns, underutilization is a risk across 6,300 institutions.

The Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) must tackle these through infrastructure and outreach efforts.

Future Roadmap: What’s Next for ONOS?

ONOS has ambitious plans:

• Phase 2 (2026-2027): Include private institutions, potentially with fees, expanding to 28,000+ colleges.
• Phase 3 (Post-2027): Open access via public libraries, enabling citizens to explore journals for lifelong learning.
• APC Growth: Increase APC subsidies to boost open-access publishing, targeting 70% of Indian papers by 2030.
• Global Negotiations: Collaborate with nations to lower publisher costs, strengthening India’s leverage.
• Impact Tracking: ANRF will monitor publication outputs, aiming for India’s top-10 global R&D ranking by 2030.

These steps will make ONOS a pillar of India’s $5 trillion economy vision.

Your Action Plan: Maximizing ONOS Benefits

University students can harness ONOS for academic and career gains:

• Blend Disciplines: Use journals to merge fields, like AI with agriculture for innovative projects.
• Publish Research: Leverage ONOS resources to write papers, using APC subsidies for journals like Springer.
• Attend Training: Join university workshops to navigate the ONOS portal and research tools effectively.
• Build Global Connections: Cite ONOS journals in projects to network with international researchers, enhancing job prospects at firms like Microsoft.
• Stay Informed: Monitor onos.gov.in for new journals and updates to stay ahead.

Wrapping up

The One Nation One Subscription scheme is a lifeline for 1.8 crore Indian students, breaking paywalls to provide free access to 13,000+ global journals. From engineering to agriculture scholars, ONOS fuels research in India’s $350 billion tech and $225 billion education sectors. Despite challenges like costs and digital divides, its accessible portal, APC support, and future expansions promise a knowledge revolution. Students can publish, innovate, and compete globally by tapping this resource.

From
Lingaya’s Vidyapeeth
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