The Union Cabinet on November 25 approved the ‘One Nation One Subscription’ scheme, aimed at providing nationwide access to scholarly research articles and journal publications.
The government has allocated approximately Rs 6,000 crore for the scheme over the next three calendar years — 2025, 2026 and 2027 — as part of a new central sector scheme.
According to an official statement, ‘One Nation One Subscription’ will build upon and expand the initiatives taken by the Government of India in the last decade to improve access to quality higher education. It will complement the efforts of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) in promoting research and development, and encourage a culture of innovation across government universities, colleges, research institutions, and R&D laboratories.
The benefits of this scheme will extend to all higher educational institutions, whether managed by the central or state government, as well as central government research and development institutions. These institutions will be able to access the national subscription managed by the Information and Library Network (INFLIBNET), an autonomous centre under the University Grants Commission (UGC).
Over 6,300 institutions, impacting nearly 1.8 crore students, faculty, and researchers, will benefit from ‘One Nation One Subscription’. This initiative aligns with the goals of Viksitbharat@2047, the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, and the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF).
The scheme is set to broaden access to scholarly journals for students, faculty, researchers and scientists across various disciplines, including those in tier 2 and tier 3 cities. This will foster both core and interdisciplinary research across the country. Additionally, the ANRF will periodically assess the use of the subscription and monitor the publication output of Indian authors at these institutions.
The Department of Higher Education will create a centralized portal for “’One Nation One Subscription’, allowing institutions to easily access these journals.
Atal Innovation Mission
The Cabinet also approved the continuation of the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) under NITI Aayog, with an expanded scope and a budget of Rs 2,750 crore allocated for the period up to March 31, 2028.
AIM 2.0 marks a significant step towards a Viksit Bharat, aimed at enhancing and deepening India’s already thriving innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem.
With India ranked 39th on the Global Innovation Index and boasting the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem, AIM 2.0 is poised to further elevate India’s global competitiveness, an official release said. The continued support for AIM will directly contribute to generating better jobs, innovative products, and impactful services across various sectors, it added.
Building on the successes of AIM 1.0, including Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs) and Atal Incubation Centers (AICs), AIM 2.0 introduces a more refined approach. While AIM 1.0 focused on creating new infrastructure to support India’s emerging innovation ecosystem, AIM 2.0 will pilot new initiatives aimed at addressing existing gaps and scaling successful models through collaboration with central and state governments, industry, academia, and local communities.
AIM 2.0 is designed to strengthen India’s innovation ecosystem in three key ways: (a) by increasing the number of innovators and entrepreneurs, (b) by improving the success rate of startups, and (c) by enhancing the quality of outcomes, including better jobs, products, and services.
