Overview
One Nation One Subscription (ONOS) is a Central Sector Scheme approved by the Union Cabinet in November 2024 and operational from 1 January 2025. It provides centralised access to over 13,000 scholarly journals from 30 international publishers to more than 6,300 government-run academic and R&D institutions across India. The scheme eliminates fragmented subscriptions previously managed through 10 different library consortia under various ministries.
ONOS is conceptualised from the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 emphasis on research excellence and is implemented by the INFLIBNET Centre (Information and Library Network Centre), Gandhinagar — an Inter-University Centre of UGC under the Ministry of Education.
Key Statistics (as of early 2026)
| Parameter | Figure |
|---|---|
| Total budget | ₹6,000 crore for 3 years (2025-2027) |
| Open Access support | ₹150 crore/year for Indian authors to publish in OA journals |
| Journals accessible | 13,000+ from 30 international publishers |
| Institutions covered | 6,300+ government HEIs and R&D institutions |
| Beneficiaries | ~1.8 crore students, faculty, and researchers |
| Articles accessed (2025) | Over 11.5 crore (averaging ~1 crore downloads/month) |
| Portal | onos.gov.in (functional since January 2025) |
Background and Need
Before ONOS, Indian institutions accessed scholarly journals through 10 different library consortia under various ministries, leading to:
- Duplication: Multiple institutions subscribing to the same journals independently
- Inequity: Premier institutions (IITs, IISc) had access to hundreds of journals while Tier 2/3 city colleges had minimal or no access
- High cost: Individual journal subscriptions cost lakhs per year, unaffordable for most state universities
- Fragmentation: No unified platform for discovery and access
Key Features
Centralised Access
- Single platform managed by INFLIBNET providing access to 13,000+ journals from 30 publishers
- Top publishers include: Elsevier Science Direct (including The Lancet), Springer Nature, Wiley Blackwell, Taylor & Francis, IEEE, Sage Publishing, American Chemical Society, American Mathematical Society
- All agreements and payments to all 30 publishers completed by March 2025
Equity in Access
- Tier 2 and Tier 3 city institutions now have the same access as premier institutions like IITs and IISc
- Access via campus IP authentication and INFED login credentials
- Off-campus remote access also enabled through INFED for researchers
Open Access Support
- Central funding of ₹150 crore per year to support Indian authors publishing in selected quality Open Access journals
- Promotes India as a contributor (not just consumer) of global research
Flexibility
- Institutions can still individually subscribe to journals not covered under ONOS
- Registration required on the ONOS platform for institutional access
Institutions Covered
| Category | Approximate Count |
|---|---|
| Central universities | ~54 |
| State universities | ~460 |
| Government colleges | ~4,500+ |
| Central R&D institutions | ~1,200+ |
| Total | ~6,300+ |
About INFLIBNET
- Full name: Information and Library Network Centre
- Location: Gandhinagar, Gujarat
- Status: Inter-University Centre of UGC under the Ministry of Education
- Established: 1991
- Role in ONOS: Implementing agency — coordinates with publishers, manages digital access, ensures seamless user experience
- Other initiatives: INFLIBNET also manages e-ShodhSindhu, Shodhganga (thesis repository), and N-LIST
Impact and Performance (2025)
- Users downloading approximately 1 crore research articles per month
- Total downloads crossed 11.5 crore during 2025
- Data-driven insights on journal usage patterns helping resource allocation decisions
- Cost efficiency by eliminating duplication across 10 former consortia
Latest Developments
- 11.3 crore+ research articles downloaded in 2025 (January-December), the first full year of ONOS operations — averaging approximately 1 crore downloads per month
- IIT Madras topped downloads with 40.3 lakh articles, followed by IISc Bangalore at 28.3 lakh — demonstrating strong uptake at premier institutions
- Publisher-wise usage data (2025): Elsevier ScienceDirect led with 4.4 crore downloads (37%), followed by Springer Nature at 2.2 crore (18%), American Chemical Society at 1.4 crore (12%), Wiley at 1.1 crore (9%), Taylor & Francis at 0.8 crore (6%), and IEEE at 0.6 crore (5%)
- All 30 publisher agreements completed by March 2025 — including Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley, Taylor & Francis, IEEE, Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, BMJ, Sage Publishing, and Project Muse
- Wiley formally joined ONOS in early 2025, expanding research access across its full journal portfolio for Indian institutions
- Open Access funding of Rs 150 crore/year operational — supporting Indian authors to publish in selected quality Open Access journals, positioning India as a research contributor
Prelims Importance
- Approved: Union Cabinet, November 2024 | Operational: 1 January 2025
- Type: Central Sector Scheme | Budget: ₹6,000 crore for 3 years (2025-2027)
- Implementing agency: INFLIBNET Centre, Gandhinagar (Inter-University Centre of UGC)
- Coverage: 13,000+ journals from 30 international publishers for 6,300+ institutions
- Beneficiaries: ~1.8 crore students, faculty, and researchers
- Open Access funding: ₹150 crore/year for Indian authors to publish in OA journals
- Portal: onos.gov.in | Access: Campus IP + INFED login (remote access also enabled)
- Key publishers: Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley, Taylor & Francis, IEEE, Sage
- Replaces: 10 fragmented library consortia under various ministries
- 2025 performance: 11.5 crore+ articles accessed; ~1 crore downloads per month
Mains & Interview Importance
GS2 — Education, Governance:
- Discuss how ONOS democratises access to global research for Tier 2 and Tier 3 institutions. Can centralised subscription models address the research quality gap between premier and state universities?
- Evaluate the role of INFLIBNET as an institutional mechanism for digital knowledge infrastructure in India.
GS3 — Science & Technology, Economy:
- India ranks 3rd globally in research output but most citations come from a handful of institutions. How can ONOS change this pattern?
- Critically examine the cost-benefit analysis of spending ₹6,000 crore on journal access versus investing in open-access repositories and preprint servers.
Interview angles:
- “Should India push for a global open-access model rather than paying billions to commercial publishers like Elsevier?”
- “ONOS covers only government institutions. Should private universities also be included?”
- “How does ONOS align with the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) vision for research excellence?”
Essay connection: Knowledge as a public good, digital divide in education, research ecosystem building, NEP 2020 and research culture