Who owns our knowledge? Rethinking scientific publishing in the AI age

"In India, the government has attempted to address this inequity through the ‘One Nation, One Subscription’ (ONOS) initiative: starting from 2025, ONOS provided access to journals from 30 major international publishers to all researchers in publicly funded institutions. While the cost of this nationwide deal is substantial, especially given that over half of the global research literature is already available through open-access routes, as seen from the scholarly database Web of Science, the intent behind ONOS remains commendable. It represents a step toward broadening access beyond elite institutions. Yet it also compels us to ask deeper questions. Should we continue paying these large sums to foreign publishers to access knowledge that our own researchers produce, again with public money? Shouldn’t that knowledge at the least be freely accessible to every citizen, empowering them with the scientific temper needed in an era rife with misinformation? Perhaps most importantly: where is the spirit of an Atmanirbhar Bharat in this enterprise?"