India unveils Draft Legal Metrology Rules to unify time across the country

The Indian Department of Consumer Affairs has introduced the Draft Legal Metrology (Indian Standard Time) Rules, 2025, as part of the "One Nation, One Time" initiative.

This proposal seeks to establish synchronised and precise Indian Standard Time (IST) across the country, aiming to enhance economic efficiency, bolster national security, and ensure uniformity in timekeeping, as reported by ANI, a partner of TV BRICS.

To support this endeavour, advanced infrastructure will be developed in five legal metrology laboratories across India, paving the way for significant benefits in critical sectors such as navigation, telecommunications, banking, digital governance, power grid synchronisation, and scientific research, including deep space exploration and gravitational wave detection.

Indian Standard Time is based on Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) with a +05:30-hour offset. The proposed rules mandate the synchronisation of all legal, administrative, and commercial activities with IST, restricting the use of alternative time references unless explicitly authorised by the government.

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