One Nation, One Time: Govt Mandates Indian Standard Time

One nation One time

News

Author: Hriday Verma

Published: January 27, 2025

The Indian government has recently proposed a plan to standardise time across the entire country. The Legal Metrology (Indian Standard Time) Rules 2024 require the use of Indian Standard Time (IST) in all government and business activities.

According to this report, it forms a part of the initiative by the government to regulate accurate time on all the most important national infrastructure such as telecom, banking, defense, 5G and artificial intelligence among others.

Major components of the draft rules include:

  • Only Indian Standard Time (IST) can be used for government and business activities. Other time codes are not allowed.
  • Mandatory showing of IST in government offices and public institutions.
  • Time-synchronization methods must be dependable, accessible, and safe.
  • Astronomy, navigation, and scientific study can be done without restrictions if the government gives prior approval.

The Department of Consumer Affairs is working in collaboration with the National Physical Laboratory as well as the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for developing an effective time generation and dissemination mechanism. Violations of the proposed rules will attract penalties, as well as periodic audits are contemplated for ensuring compliance across sectors.

The draft rules have been put out for public stakeholders, who can comment and give suggestions before February 14, 2025. This will standardize and therefore be more accurate with the way timekeeping is done in India, thereby improving the efficiency and dependability of many sectors.

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