Which digital platform of Ministry of Education has been formed by merging three consortia initiatives, namely UGC-INFONET Digital library consortium, NLIST and INDEST-AICTE consortium?

The correct option is e-Shodh Sindhu.

Step-by-step Explanation:

1. Understanding e-Shodh Sindhu:
e-Shodh Sindhu was formed by the Ministry of Education (then Ministry of Human Resource Development) by merging three major consortia initiatives:
• UGC-INFONET Digital Library Consortium: Focuses on catering to the scholarly requirements of universities.
• NLIST (National Library and Information Services Infrastructure for Scholarly Content): Extends access to e-resources to colleges.
• INDEST-AICTE Consortium: Focuses on catering to technological and engineering institutions.
The consolidation of these initiatives under e-Shodh Sindhu aims to provide access to qualitative electronic resources, including full-text, bibliographic, and factual databases, to academic institutions across India at highly discounted rates.

2. Contextualizing Other Options:
To understand why other options are incorrect, we can look at their specific roles:
• Shodh Ganga: This is the national digital repository for Indian electronic theses and dissertations, helping to prevent duplication of research.
• E-Vidwan: This is a database containing profiles of scientists, researchers, and faculty members working in leading Indian academic and R&D institutions.
• Shodh Shuddhi: This is an initiative providing Plagiarism Detection Software (PDS) to all Indian universities and institutions to ensure research integrity.