The Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India, notified new Draft Legal Metrology (Indian Standard Time) Rules, 2025, that will synchronise time zones across the length and breadth of India. These rules aim at ‘One Nation, One Time’ by achieving precision in the Indian Standard Time (IST).
The project was undertaken in association with the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to bring about millisecond to microsecond accuracy within Indian time. This will be done by creating technology and infrastructure to decimate IST from five meteorology laboratories across India.
Need for Standardisation
These rules aim to standardise and mandate the use of IST across all sectors in India, providing a precise time-keeping framework for strategic industrial and societal applications. The Legal Metrology (Indian Standard Time) Rules will provide substantial benefits to consumers also. It will create a comprehensive framework for precise and uniform timekeeping. Synchrony in communication, network networks, technological infrastructure, and public services will also be enabled. This will in turn ensure seamless interaction and enhance economic efficiency.
This rule will also encourage accurate recordkeeping and provide a critical mechanism for synchronising national infrastructure and communication networks. The rules will especially strengthen the country’s position in critical sectors like navigation, telecommunication, internet banking, power grid synchronisation, 5G technology, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things (IoT).
