Professors appreciate One Nation One Subscription, some raise concerns

The ONOS strategy plans to supply world diary subscriptions to universities successful the country. A corpus of Rs 6,000 crore has been sanctioned for the inaugural which aims to “provide country-wide entree to planetary high-impact scholarly probe articles and diary publications” to researchers successful cardinal and authorities universities crossed India.

As galore arsenic 30 large planetary publishers person been included successful this strategy and 13,000 e-journals volition beryllium made disposable done nationalist subscription coordinated by the Information and Library Network (INFLIBNET), according to a PIB property release. The strategy besides aims to promote halfway and interdisciplinary probe successful tier-2 and tier-3 cities, wherever entree to these journals mightiness beryllium difficult. The Indian Express spoke to professors for their views connected the scheme.

Great initiative, accidental professors

Dr Richa Ashma, adjunct prof astatine the section of zoology, Savitribai Phule Pune University, said, “I deliberation this is simply a large inaugural of the Government of India that volition truly assistance researchers pan-India. Even astatine the assemblage level, researchers, students, and module bash not person entree to galore of the journals. To get entree to these probe paper, they person to wage the subscription interest of the journal.”

Dr Pravina Sanjay Ugile-Pawar, prof astatine the section of physics astatine Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University (BAMU), Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, opined that the strategy would beryllium beneficial. “In my career, I person faced issues with galore diary subscriptions similar IOP and RSC. My assemblage has subscriptions for galore journals truthful I person not faced an contented for those. But a fewer journals that my assemblage is not subscribed to, past it becomes precise hard for me. So I deliberation the ONOS strategy volition assistance to lick this problem,” she said.

Concerns regarding the scheme

Dr Ajay Dhawale, prof and HOD of the English section astatine Tuljaram Chaturchand College, Baramati, raised immoderate concerns astir the scheme. “ONOS is simply a bold inaugural with the imaginable to alteration entree to probe and thrust innovation crossed India. By bridging assets gaps, it promises important enactment for researchers successful underprivileged areas. However, centralizing power implicit specified resources raises captious concerns astir its interaction connected world state and the hazard of aligning probe priorities with circumstantial agendas,” said Dr Dhawale.

“Centralizing power of probe resources nether a azygous bureau similar INFLIBNET raises superior concerns. There is simply a hazard that this level could beryllium utilized to align probe priorities with the government’s agenda, subtly influencing narratives and discouraging captious voices. This existent fearfulness cannot beryllium ignored, particularly successful a strategy wherever transparency is not ever guaranteed,” added Dr Dhawale.

For ONOS to genuinely payment acquisition and research, it indispensable person wide safeguards against misuse. To guarantee accountability and forestall misuse, ONOS should follow a strategy of implicit transparency. “This means sharing wide and elaborate accusation astir however resources are allocated, what probe is being prioritised, and however the strategy is being used,” helium added.

Dr. Giribala Bondle, subordinate prof of chemistry astatine BAMU besides raised an important concern. “Providing entree to 30 publishers is not enough. Most journals these days are unfastened entree and we deficiency the backing to get our probe published successful these journals. We extremity up collaborating with planetary researchers to wage the fees which is astir Rs 1-1.5 lakh. Previously, adjacent the UGC had provided america journals but galore of them were not credible journals. In a way, we are being forced to people successful these non-credible journals, but we don’t bash it. We request enactment for publishing our enactment successful unfastened entree journals,” said Dr Bondle.

Dr Rahul Magar, adjunct prof of past astatine SPPU, said , “It is simply a precise bully scheme, but determination are 3 issues that tin travel up during implementation. First is that humanities and societal sciences are ever fixed little importance. What benignant of journals volition beryllium made disposable for these subjects? The strategy is precise bully for science, but humanities should not beryllium ignored. Second, determination are galore section connection publications similar Bhartiya Itihas Ani Sanskruti that are hardcopies and bash not person an online presence. How volition these beryllium made available? English is the connection of cognition contiguous but galore scholars successful Maharashtra constitute successful Marathi, arsenic it besides has greater readership. Will these Marathi journals and different section connection journals besides beryllium included?”

The 3rd issue, Dr Magar said, is centralisation and the resulting politicisation of knowledge. There is the fearfulness that immoderate enactment that comes to powerfulness volition effort to dispersed its ideology and suppress the other ideology.

“This applies adjacent much to a taxable similar history, wherever we cannot accidental what is the information successful a definite way, it is simply a continuous process. If steps are taken to allay these imaginable issues, the strategy is simply a superb one,” said Dr Magar.