THE CONTEXT: Approved by the Union Cabinet in November 2024, the One Nation, One Subscription (ONOS) Rs 6,000-crore initiative aims to democratize access to scholarly content nationwide. The scheme will be implemented from January 1, 2025, for three years (2025-2027). This ambitious project aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 vision, emphasizing equitable access to quality education and resources.
KEY FEATURES OF ONOS INCLUDE
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- Provision of access to approximately 13,000 e-journals from 30 major international publishers.
- Coverage of over 6,300 government higher education institutions and central government R&D institutions.
- Benefiting nearly 18 million students, faculty, researchers, and scientists.
INDIA’S RESEARCH ECOSYSTEM:
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- Research and Development (R&D) Spending: India spends 0.7% of its GDP on R&D, significantly below the global average of 1.8%. This is far behind countries like China, which spends 2.41%, the United States, 3.47%, and Israel, which pays 5.71%. Despite this, India has improved its innovation ecosystem, ranking 40th in the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2023, up from 81st in 2015.
- Education Funding: India spends only 3.85% of its GDP on education, below the global average of 4.22%, and far behind countries like Cuba (12%) and Norway (6.5%). This underfunding impacts the quality of higher education, particularly in rural areas where institutions struggle with inadequate infrastructure and faculty shortages.
- Uneven Distribution of Resources: Between 2019 and 2022, India spent ₹2,985 crore on journal subscriptions, primarily benefiting elite institutions like IITs, IISc, and AIIMS. Smaller colleges and state universities often lack access to these resources. Only about half of the estimated 6,300 institutions covered have access to quality journals.
THE CHALLENGES:
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- Lack of Research Infrastructure in Tier-2 and Tier-3 Cities: While India’s tier-2 and tier-3 cities are emerging as hubs of economic activity, they lack adequate research infrastructure. Poor-quality laboratories, outdated equipment, and limited access to high-speed internet hinder research capabilities in these regions.
- Impact on Research: Institutions in smaller cities often operate with meager budgets, making it difficult to attract and retain skilled researchers or establish state-of-the-art facilities. This perpetuates a cycle of low-quality research output and limited global visibility.
- Low R&D Spending: India spends only 0.7% of its GDP on R&D, significantly below the global average of 1.8%. This is far behind countries like China (2.2%) and Israel (4.9%).
- Skill Deficit: Many researchers in under-resourced institutions lack training in modern research methodologies, data analytics, and publishing standards. This limits their ability to leverage resources like ONOS effectively.
- Overemphasis on STEM: Government policies and funding mechanisms heavily favor Science, Technology, Engineering, and Medicine (STEM) disciplines. For instance, STEM fields dominate open-access publishing in India, with health sciences alone accounting for $7 million in Article Processing Charges (APCs) paid by Indian authors in 2020.
- Neglect of Interdisciplinary Research: While the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 advocates for multidisciplinary approaches, implementation remains skewed toward STEM subjects.
THE WAY FORWARD:
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- Enhancing R&D Spending: India’s R&D expenditure, currently at 0.7% of GDP, must be increased to at least the global average of 1.8%. The ₹1 lakh crore Anusandhan National Research Fund announced in the Union Budget 2024-25 is a step forward, focusing on basic research and prototype development. Prioritize emerging sectors like AI, green energy, and biotechnology to position India as a global innovation hub.
- Boosting Education Funding: Public spending on education, currently at 3.85% of GDP, must align with the NEP 2020 target of 6% of GDP. Increased funding is essential for improving infrastructure, hiring qualified faculty, and supporting research activities in under-resourced institutions.
- Developing National APC Funds: Creating a National Article Processing Charges (APC) Fund can alleviate the financial burden on researchers, particularly those from underfunded institutions. This model has been successfully implemented in countries like Germany under its DEAL agreements.
- Support for Humanities and Social Sciences: Compared to STEM fields, the humanities and social sciences receive disproportionately low funding. Initiatives like the CPRG-Social Sciences Research Grant (2022) and Indo-German collaborations led by the ICSSR are commendable but need scaling up.
- Promoting Interdisciplinary Research: NEP 2020 emphasizes interdisciplinary education and research. For example, integrating digital humanities with data science can address contemporary issues such as misinformation or cultural preservation.
- Equitable Development: A significant portion of the Anusandhan Fund should be allocated to building research infrastructure in tier-2 and tier-3 cities. Programs like DBT-BUILDER (Biotechnology Ignition Grant for Universities) already provide funding up to ₹5 crore for upgrading laboratories in smaller institutions.
THE CONCLUSION:
The ONOS scheme is a significant step toward democratizing access to knowledge resources. Its success depends on addressing systemic barriers, ensuring a balanced disciplinary focus, and enhancing research infrastructure across all regions of India.
UPSC PAST YEAR QUESTION:
Q. The quality of higher education in India requires major improvements to make it internationally competitive. Do you think that the entry of foreign educational institutions would help improve the quality of higher and technical education in the country? Discuss. 2015
MAINS PRACTICE QUESTION:
Q. Examine the implications of low public spending on education and research and development (R&D) in India. How can schemes like ONOS help bridge the gap between India’s research output and its global impact?
SOURCE:
https://www.thestatesman.com/opinion/can-onos-transform-indian-research-1503373742.html
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