PM One Nation One Subscription (PM-ONOS) Scheme (UPSC/RAS/PSI) Current Affairs {National}

Nodal Ministry- Ministry of Education (Department of Higher Education)
Coordinating & Hosting Agency- Information and Library Network (INFLIBNET) Centre, Gandhinagar (An autonomous Inter-University Centre of UGC)
Monitoring Body- Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF)
PM-ONOS is a flagship Central Sector Scheme designed to consolidate and democratize access to global scholarly research and academic literature for public institutions across India.
Traces its roots back to the 5th draft of the Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy (STIP) 2020.
Aligns directly with NEP 2020 objectives "Jai Anusandhan" to position India as a global research hub under the Viksit Bharat@2047 roadmap.
Financial Outlay- Backed by a total budget allocation of ₹6,000 crore for the 3-year initial phase.

Core Features –

Comprehensive Journal Base- Provides unified digital access to over 13,000 high-impact e-journals from major international publishers (e.g., Elsevier ScienceDirect/Lancet, Springer Nature, Wiley-Blackwell, Taylor & Francis, IEEE, Cambridge University Press, ACS, Royal Society of Chemistry, Sage, BMJ).
Multidisciplinary Breadth- Spans STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics), Medicine, Agriculture, Humanities, Social Sciences, Law, Finance, and Management.
Consortium Rationalization- Replaces 10 fragmented, ministry-level library consortiums (which previously led to expensive, overlapping institutional fees) with a single, unified national licensing model.
Article Processing Charges (APC) Support- Includes ₹150 crore annually in central funding to subsidize APC discounts and fees for Indian authors publishing in top-tier open-access journals.

Eligible Beneficiaries- Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs)- All Central and State Government-run Universities, IITs, NITs, IIMs, IISERs, AIIMS, and affiliated government colleges.
Central Government R&D Institutes- Laboratories under CSIR, ICAR, ICMR, DST, DBT, DRDO, ISRO, MeitY, and Department of Atomic Energy (DAE).
Demographic Impact- Covers 6,300+ public institutions, benefiting approximately 1.8 crore students, faculty members, researchers, and scientists.
Onboarding Rail- Institutions register via their AISHE Code on onos.gov.in, appointing institutional Nodal Officers to track usage metrics.

Combating High Commercial Costs- Academic publishing generates ~$19 billion globally with ~40% profit margins. India spent nearly ₹1,500 crore annually on subscription fees and over ₹380 crore in APCs (2021). ONOS leverages bulk national bargaining power to lower costs.
Bridging the Tier-1 vs. Regional Divide- Elite institutions (IITs, IISc) previously enjoyed vast library budgets, whereas state universities in Tier-2/3 cities suffered severe journal paywalls. ONOS ensures equitable access nationwide.
Curating Quality & Curbing Predatory Journals- Facilitates access to credible, peer-reviewed global repositories, reducing reliance on predatory open-access platforms.

Operational Success- 110 million journal downloads recorded across participating campuses during its initial operating cycle.
Extensive capacity- building webinars held by INFLIBNET on APC utilization and digital access for remote colleges.

Exclusion of Private HEIs- Private universities/colleges (which cater to a large segment of students) remain outside Phase-I coverage and must maintain independent subscriptions.
Un-onboarded Public Colleges- Certain state-level institutions in remote districts lack adequate digital infrastructure, campus LANs, or dedicated library staff to leverage the portal.
Publisher Negotiations- Managing renewal dynamics and negotiating terms for niche journals not covered under the 30 primary publishers.

Source: PIB