India Embraces 'One Nation, One Time': Synchronizing with Indian Standard Time

The Indian government is set to enforce Indian Standard Time across all legal, commercial, digital, and administrative sectors. This move, announced by Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, aims to enhance security in digital transactions and ensure synchronized timekeeping in various industries.

The Department of Consumer Affairs has developed the Legal Metrology (Indian Standard Time) Rules, 2025, to institutionalize IST as India's official time. This comes in collaboration with CSIR-NPL and ISRO, introducing five Regional Reference Standard Laboratories across the country with state-of-the-art atomic clocks and secure synchronization systems.

At a recent round table, stakeholders from diverse sectors showed support for this initiative, highlighting its role in eliminating dependence on foreign time sources and enhancing national security and efficiency.

(With inputs from agencies.)