Recently, One Nation, One Subscription (ONOS) scheme was launched by the Government of India on November 25, 2024, a significant initiative aimed at providing equitable access to scholarly journals across public institutions in India. With an allocation of ₹6,000 crore over three years (2025-2027), ONOS seeks to address the financial challenges faced by academic and research institutions in accessing international journals. While the scheme has the potential to enhance access to knowledge, it also raises questions about the sustainability of the subscription model and the need for a transition to more open systems of scholarly publishing.

Overview of ONOS:

 The ONOS scheme was first proposed around 2018-2019 and gained traction due to the high subscription costs of scholarly journals. Under ONOS, the Indian government plans to negotiate collective access to scholarly resources, eliminating financial barriers to vital research access.

•      Objective: ONOS aims to provide journal access to all public institutions, including universities and research bodies, regardless of financial capacity. This will make scholarly literature more accessible, democratizing knowledge for students, faculty, and researchers.

•      Budget: A total of ₹6,000 crore has been earmarked for ONOS over three years (2025-2027). These funds will cover subscription fees for 30 major international journal publishers, covering fields like medicine, engineering, social sciences, and natural sciences.

•      Target Institutions: The scheme targets public universities, research institutions, and government-funded academic bodies that often struggle to afford journal subscriptions. ONOS aims to level the playing field, ensuring that quality research is accessible to all institutions.

The Global Shift Towards Open Access (OA):

 The traditional subscription-based model of academic publishing has increasingly been challenged by Open Access (OA) publishing, which allows research articles to be freely accessible without subscription fees. ONOS must be evaluated within this global shift.

•      Growth of Open Access: Over 53% of scientific research papers are now published via OA, according to Web of Science. This figure has risen significantly since 2018-2019, when ONOS was first conceptualized. OA models, prioritizing free access to research, have gained considerable support. This trend raises doubts about the continued financial viability of subscription-based models like ONOS.

•      Global Mandates for Open Access: Research funding bodies, such as the U.S. Office of Science and Technology Policy and Horizon Europe, now require publicly funded research to be openly accessible. These developments suggest that research worldwide will increasingly be freely available, challenging the necessity of investing in subscription-based systems like ONOS.

Challenges of the Subscription Model:

 While ONOS promises to provide affordable access to academic resources, the subscription-based model comes with several challenges. These challenges complicate the scheme’s long-term sustainability and effectiveness.

•      High Subscription Costs: One concern is the high cost of journal subscriptions. Public institutions in India collectively spend approximately ₹1,500 crore annually on subscriptions, a figure that could increase under ONOS. If funds are directed toward subscription fees for international publishers, the financial burden on taxpayers will grow significantly, especially as many journals are transitioning to Open Access.

•      Exploitation of Researchers: The subscription model exploits researchers, who contribute manuscripts, conduct peer reviews, and engage in editorial work without compensation. Publishers charge substantial fees for access to these works, generating profits from publicly funded research, raising ethical concerns about the fairness of the subscription system.

•      Copyright Concerns: The subscription model also involves authors transferring copyright to publishers. This means authors relinquish control over their work, allowing publishers to profit from publicly funded research. Recent controversies, such as the deal between Taylor & Francis and Microsoft, which used journal content to train AI models without compensating authors, further highlight the ethical issues with this system.

The Case for Self-Reliant Publishing:

ONOS presents an opportunity for India to foster a more self-reliant publishing ecosystem. While the scheme can improve access to international journals, it should also encourage India to build its own publishing infrastructure, reducing dependency on external publishers.

•      Developing Indigenous Platforms: India’s large and growing research community can build indigenous publishing platforms. Reducing reliance on international publishers will not only save costs but also provide Indian researchers with a global platform to showcase their work.

•      Affordable and Open Models: The Indian government could invest in creating open-access repositories and platforms for Indian research. These platforms would make research more affordable and accessible while positioning India as a leader in OA publishing.

•      Elevating Indian Journals: By investing in infrastructure, editorial processes, and global visibility for Indian journals, India can elevate its academic output. This would foster a thriving ecosystem of high-quality research and publications within India.

Addressing Copyright and Open Access:

ONOS could have a greater impact if it also addresses copyright issues, which plague the current scholarly publishing system. Protecting intellectual property and promoting OA publishing models should be integral to any initiative aiming to improve access to scholarly research.

•      Copyright Retention: Researchers must retain the copyright to their work. Policies should ensure that researchers maintain control over their research, empowering the academic community and promoting equitable knowledge dissemination.

•      Green Open Access: A model known as green OA, where authors self-archive their work in institutional repositories, could be encouraged within ONOS. This would allow researchers to share their work openly while protecting their intellectual property.

Digital Preservation and Long-Term Access:

As journals shift to digital publishing, ensuring long-term preservation of research is critical. The discontinuation of journals like Heterocycles highlights the risks of relying on commercial publishers for preserving scientific knowledge.

•      Challenges in Preservation: Studies show that 28% of articles with Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) are not preserved, risking the loss of valuable research. This underscores the need for strategies to ensure the long-term preservation of research.

•      Self-Archiving: Encouraging authors to archive their work in institutional repositories can help mitigate the risks of losing important research. Such systems should be promoted alongside subscription models to ensure access to research in the future.

The Way Forward

India has an opportunity to reshape its scholarly publishing system. While ONOS can provide short-term relief by improving access to international journals, it should be part of a broader strategy to promote open access, safeguard intellectual property, and reduce reliance on external publishers.

•      Prioritize Open Access: India should move towards an open publishing model, such as green OA, where research is freely accessible as soon as it is published.

•      Support Indigenous Publishing: India must build robust indigenous publishing systems to promote local research and reduce reliance on international publishers.

•      Protect Intellectual Property: Policies should ensure that researchers retain control over their work, protecting their intellectual property while promoting open access.

Conclusion:

The ONOS scheme represents a significant investment in academic publishing in India. However, to ensure long-term benefits, India must consider the broader shift towards open access and develop an independent, self-reliant publishing ecosystem. By addressing challenges related to copyright, digital preservation, and long-term sustainability, India can build a more equitable and efficient academic research system that benefits researchers and society.

Main question:

Given the global trend towards Open Access and self-archiving, assess the sustainability and relevance of the ‘One Nation, One Subscription’ (ONOS) scheme in the coming years. Should India invest more in self-reliant publishing models?