Akashganga a galaxy of opportunities: open access portal on Indian scholarship

This initiative is part of the broader open access movement, which advocates for the free dissemination of scholarly work online, without barriers such as subscription fees or paywalls. By making research articles openly accessible, the Akashganga portal promotes transparency, collaboration, and innovation in academic research within India.

The Akashganga Open Access Portal is an initiative in India aimed at providing free and unrestricted access to scholarly research articles and papers. Launched by the Indian government, the portal serves as a platform for researchers, students, and the general public to access a wide range of academic literature across various disciplines. Akashganga is a part of Vikramshila Education.

It is a transparent, fast and always affordable platform built by researchers for researchers. India’s first Open Access Journal Publishing and Hosting platform geared to address challenges faced by researchers mostly outside of the Global West. Whether you are an institution looking to publish your journals or a researcher looking to publish your research, Aakashganga is here to provide answers.

Vikramshila Education

Vikramshila is a platform dedicated to revolutionizing research dissemination, driven by the principles of Atmanirbhar Bharat. It aims to break down barriers to education by providing open access to knowledge, particularly from the developing world. Through innovative use of technology, Vikramshila strives to create transparent, inclusive, and affordable platforms for researchers worldwide. Its mission is to empower scholars, eliminate discrimination, and make the research journey more efficient and accessible for all.

Aakashganga, a component of Vikramshila Education, offers two main services: hosting platforms for society and institution journals, and seven discipline-based mega journals. Its features include user verification, automated checks for grammar, syntax, and plagiarism, automated citation generation, editor functions, and post-publishing peer review. Additionally, it offers affordable open-access publishing with flexible fee management options and quick article publication times.

Its commitment lies in providing unwavering support to universities, institutes, and societies worldwide in the publication of their journals. It also ensure strict adherence to policies, guidelines, and internationally recognized ethical standards in journal publishing. It is registered with Startup India and the MSME Ministry. The platform is also a signatory to the Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) and the UN Publisher’s Compact, reaffirming its dedication to ethical open access publishing practices.

Aakashganga is on a mission to offer top-tier journal publishing infrastructure at Indian rates. Opting for the Indian open-access platform provided by Aakashganga allows universities, institutions, and societies to align with the country's research objectives.

What sets Aakashganga Open apart, the founders say, is its 'unwavering commitment to providing the lowest and most affordable article processing charges worldwide, ensuring that scholarly communication remains inclusive and accessible to all.

At Aakashganga Open, we believe that knowledge should flow freely, unencumbered by financial barriers,” said Vivek Mehra, CEO and founder of Aakashganga Open. “Our platform is a testament to India’s innovation prowess and we exist to represent research scholars who feels they are not given a fair chance to present their case for publishing their research. We are currently offering a launch offer to publish research papers free, and we invite authors to take advantage of this offer.

Seven discipline-based mega journals includes:

Akashganga supports the objectives of 'One Nation, One Subscription policy that is in its implementation phase from 1st January 2024 by encouraging institutions and societies to choose Indian publishers as their preferred publishing partners, supporting the development and recognition of homegrown research platforms.

The forthcoming policy initiative in India, titled 'One Nation, One Subscription,' represents a pioneering effort by the Government to transform the landscape of research publication accessibility within the country. Its core objective is to promote a more inclusive and dynamic research environment, emphasizing equitable access to knowledge across all regions and institutions.

Overall, the Akashganga Open Access Portal will definitely take India's research and education system to next level by fostering a culture of open sharing and collaboration in the academic community. Also, It aims to become India’s premier open access repository of academic content.

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