‘One nation one subscription’ gets cabinet nod

The Union Cabinet on Monday approved the “One Nation One Subscription” — a new central government scheme to ensure countrywide access to scholarly research articles and journal publications.

The Centre has allocated ₹6,000 crore for the scheme for a period of three years.

Announcing the scheme on Monday, information and broadcasting minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said: “For youths and students, one of the biggest decisions that has been taken today is – One Nation One Subscription. We all know that for research – high-quality publications are needed which are very costly and hence the PM has transformed it into a new form. All the Universities will make their resources common – all the world-famous journals are brought, their subscriptions are to be taken and then made available to all the educational institutions… It has been estimated to cost around ₹6,000 crore.”

Currently, ten separate library consortia managed by different ministries provide journal access to higher education institutions within their purview, and institutions often subscribe individually to journals.

With ONOS, all government-run higher education institutions, including universities, colleges, and institutions of national importance, will have unified access to both national and international journals across various academic fields.