Democratising Knowledge

Democratising Knowledge: Evaluating India’s ‘One Nation, One Subscription’ Plan

Scientific knowledge is essential for progress, but accessing scholarly journals is often expensive, limiting its reach. To address this, the Indian government launched the ‘One Nation, One Subscription’ (ONOS) plan. Approved on November 25, 2024, ONOS aims to provide equitable access to scientific literature for public institutions across India. The government has allocated ₹6,000 crore over three years (2025-2027) to fund subscriptions to major international journals.

This initiative intends to ensure that students, researchers, and teachers in schools, colleges, and libraries have access to the same resources, regardless of their institution’s financial capacity. While ONOS aspires to make research accessible, its reliance on costly subscriptions raises concerns about its relevance and efficiency amid global trends toward open access publishing. This essay examines the goals of ONOS, its challenges, and strategies for building a stronger academic publishing ecosystem in India.

The ONOS Initiative

The ‘One Nation, One Subscription’ (ONOS) initiative aims to make scholarly journals accessible to everyone, irrespective of their institution’s financial resources. Currently, public institutions in India spend approximately ₹1,500 crore annually on journal subscriptions. By centralising this expenditure, ONOS seeks to reduce costs while significantly expanding access to research materials, ensuring that scientific knowledge reaches more students, researchers, and educators across the country.

ONOS promises to create a level playing field for smaller institutions that struggle to afford expensive journal subscriptions. With access to the same resources as premier universities, students and researchers in such institutions can pursue advanced studies and contribute to innovation. Policymakers can also utilise this access to make well-informed decisions guided by the latest scientific findings, benefiting society as a whole.

The Global Trend Towards Open Access

Despite its promise, ONOS’s subscription-based model seems to conflict with global trends in research publishing, particularly the rise of open access (OA). OA ensures free access to scientific literature online. Over 53% of research papers are now published as open access, with models like:

1. Gold OA: Authors pay an Article Processing Charge (APC) to publish their work freely.
2. Green OA: Authors self-archive their articles in open repositories.

Countries like the United States and the European Union are embracing OA. By 2026, the U.S. will require all publicly funded research to be freely accessible. Similarly, the EU’s Horizon Europe program mandates open access for peer-reviewed publications. These shifts suggest that ONOS might be solving a problem that is already being addressed globally.

Challenges with ONOS

The ONOS plan faces challenges due to its timing and financial implications. Open access to research is becoming more common, with many countries making publicly funded research freely available online. By the time ONOS is fully implemented, much of the research it covers might already be accessible for free. This raises concerns about the financial efficiency of its ₹6,000 crore budget, as the plan may not provide value for money in a rapidly changing publishing landscape.

Another issue with ONOS is its reliance on a few Western commercial publishers. These publishers charge high subscription fees and often delay the publication of research findings, which slows the sharing of new knowledge. Moreover, their rigid copyright policies require researchers to transfer the rights to their work, preventing them from freely sharing or reusing it. This dependence on Western publishers continues to strengthen their control over global academic publishing, leaving Indian institutions at a disadvantage.

Copyright concerns add to the challenges of ONOS. Researchers are often forced to give up their copyrights, allowing publishers to use their work without consent. In some cases, such as using research to train artificial intelligence, publishers profit without compensating the authors. These practices highlight the need for policies that protect researchers’ rights, which ONOS currently lacks.

The Case for Self-Reliance in Publishing

India has a significant opportunity to revolutionise its scholarly publishing system. The country already supports the backend operations of many international publishing houses, indicating that the necessary expertise and infrastructure are available domestically. By building on this foundation, India can work toward creating a publishing ecosystem that meets global standards and serves its researchers and institutions more effectively.

Investing in indigenous publishing systems would allow India to elevate its own journals to international quality. This improvement could attract high-quality submissions, enabling Indian researchers to publish locally while gaining global recognition. Besides, strong domestic journals would reduce the reliance on expensive Western publishers, saving money and fostering self-reliance in academic publishing.

Developing a robust publishing ecosystem in India could also encourage innovation in how research is published and shared. By focusing on modernising publication processes, India can establish cutting-edge systems for peer review, data sharing, and open access. These advancements would not only benefit Indian researchers but also strengthen the country’s position as a leader in global academic publishing.

Alternative Solutions for Knowledge Accessibility

India can significantly enhance access to research and strengthen its academic landscape by adopting targeted strategies. A starting point is enforcing the 2014 Open Access Policy, which requires publicly funded research to be deposited in institutional repositories. Proper implementation and strengthening of this policy would ensure that Indian research outputs are freely accessible, expanding their impact and utility for students, researchers, and the broader community.

Another key step is introducing rights retention policies similar to those at Harvard University. These policies allow researchers to retain rights to self-archive their work in open repositories immediately after publication. This approach, known as green open access, ensures wide availability of research without the need for costly subscriptions. Adopting such policies would empower Indian researchers to share their work freely, increasing its visibility and impact.

Investing in indigenous publishing infrastructure is also essential. By elevating Indian journals to world-class standards, the country can attract high-quality submissions from local and global researchers. This would not only bolster India’s academic reputation but also reduce financial reliance on foreign publishers, fostering a self-reliant publishing ecosystem.

Promoting pre-printing and data sharing is another valuable strategy. Preprint servers, where researchers share findings before peer review, accelerate the spread of knowledge and encourage collaboration. Initiatives like the Indian Science and Technology Archive of Research (INDSTA) could play a vital role in facilitating pre-printing and data sharing across disciplines.

Finally, India must prioritise preserving digital content. With the increasing shift to online journals, the risk of data loss is real. Establishing robust digital preservation systems would ensure the longevity and accessibility of Indian research for future generations. Together, these measures can build a sustainable, accessible, and innovative academic ecosystem in India.

Lessons from Global Practices

Global practices provide valuable lessons for India to align its ONOS initiative with the future of scholarly publishing. For instance, countries like the United States mandate that publicly funded research be deposited in open repositories, ensuring free and unrestricted access to scientific findings. Such a system not only democratises knowledge but also maximises the impact of publicly funded research by making it widely available to researchers, educators, and policymakers without additional financial barriers.

In Europe and the United States, institutions have introduced rights retention policies to empower researchers. These policies allow authors to retain copyrights, enabling them to self-archive their work in open repositories. By following this model, India could promote green open access, ensuring broader availability of research outputs while reducing dependence on costly subscriptions and restrictive copyright agreements imposed by commercial publishers.

Countries like China have prioritised developing indigenous publishing platforms, reducing their reliance on Western publishers. By investing in their own academic journals, they have built a robust domestic publishing ecosystem that attracts high-quality research. India can adopt a similar approach to elevate its journals to global standards, fostering innovation, boosting the country’s academic reputation, and creating a self-reliant ecosystem for scholarly communication.

Conclusion

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The Source’s Authority and Ownership of the Article is Claimed By THE STUDY IAS BY MANIKANT SINGH