A press conference led by Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India was held today at the National Media Centre, New Delhi about the recently launched One Nation One Subscription scheme. The panel of experts on the dais included Dr. Parvinder Maini, Scientific Secretary, Office of the PSA; Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology; Mr. P.K. Banerjee, Joint Secretary, Department of Higher Education; Prof. Virander Chauhan, Former Director, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biology; and Ms. Remya Haridasan, Scientist ‘D’, Office of the PSA. The discussion was moderated by Smt. Mattu J.P. Singh, Director General, Press Information Bureau.

In his opening remarks, Prof. Sood emphasized the critical role of ONOS in expanding knowledge access to the last mile across the country, complementing efforts being made through the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) and the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020). He highlighted the importance of knowledge creation and easy access to quality research journals and articles as a cornerstone of the innovation journey for any nation.

In the presentation about the ONOS scheme, made by Ms. Remya Haridasan, the key components and benefits of the ONOS scheme were elaborated. ONOS scheme, with a budget of Rs. 6000 Crore for a period of three years i.e. 2025-2027, is a centrally negotiated and centrally funded National Consortium for electronic journal subscriptions. ONOS will also provide central funding support of Rs. 150 Crore per year for beneficiary authors to publish in selected good quality Open Access (OA) journals. It was noted that the first phase of ONOS, starting from 1^st January 2025, 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. This translates to nearly 1.8 Crore students, faculty and researchers getting access to high quality research publications. It was also emphasized that access to the full collection of journals published by each of the 30 publishers who are part of ONOS will be provided. The 30 publishers include prominent publishers covering the streams of STEMM, management, social sciences and humanities. Additionally, it was underscored that each user will be able to access all journals subscribed under ONOS, which will be a great push for inter-disciplinary research, aligning with the goals of ANRF and NEP, and benefiting scholars and researchers across diverse fields. In the subsequent phases of ONOS, expansion of access to private higher educational institutions and ultimately to all individuals in the country who need such access can be taken up. The presentation can be accessed here: https://psa.gov.in/CMS/web/sites/default/files/psa_custom_files/PPT%20ONOS%20press%20conference%2010th%20Dec%2024%20final.pdf

It was also showcased how ONOS is part of a larger vision to achieve open access transformation in the country. In a three-pronged approach which is envisioned, ONOS is the immediate first step to expand access to knowledge through the subscription model which is still highly prevalent in the country. The other steps include (i) efforts to enhance the use of Indian journals and repositories (ii) new holistic research evaluation methods which, in addition to journal-based metrics, also take into consideration intrinsic merit of a research work, and other contemporary aspects in the S&T ecosystem such as innovation, entrepreneurship, etc.

During the media interaction, the dignitaries addressed questions on various aspects of ONOS, including: the phased implementation of the initiative; the beneficiaries covered; the modes of facilitating access to the journals through ONOS; Article Processing Charges (APC) support under ONOS. Discussions on the broader scenario of open access efforts such as Diamond OA and Green OA especially in the Indian context, were also held.

Prof. Karandikar clarified that ONOS is only dealing with electronic journals from 30 publishers, whose entire collection will be available under ONOS, and that institutions are free to subscribe to resources such as ebooks and databases, and also journals from publishers other than the 30 publishers. Prof. Chauhan emphasized the tremendous opportunity for Indian researchers, students and faculty to unprecedentedly access a wide variety of journals available to them. Mr. Banerjee clarified about the access facility for the journals which will be provided through a web portal of the INFLIBNET Centre,  an Inter-University Centre of the University Grants Commission under the Ministry of Education, which is the implementation agency for ONOS. He added that both institutional IP-based access and remote access facility will be provided for authenticated users. Prof. Sood also touched upon the scenario of Diamond OA and Green OA in India, and also stated these have been taken into consideration in the three-pronged vision for bringing about open access transformation in India.

The press interaction concluded on the note that ONOS is not a value judgement on the subscription-based model of knowledge dissemination, rather it is an adoption of the most practical India-specific solution towards expanding knowledge access till a sustainable open access model is achieved globally. By enabling unprecedented access to global research publications, ONOS marks a significant stride in democratizing access to scientific knowledge and fostering interdisciplinary research across India.

 

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MJPS/ST

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