Centre Drafts Rules For Mandatory Adoption Of Indian Standard Time To Promote Precise Timekeeping Across Sectors

New Delhi, January 26, 2025: In a move aimed at standardizing timekeeping practices in the country, the government has drafted draft rules that mandate the exclusive use of Indian Standard Time (IST) across all official and commercial platforms.

The Legal Metrology (Indian Standard Time) Rules, 2024, seek to establish a legal framework for ensuring reliable timekeeping practices. The Centre plans to enforce these new standards to ensure precise timekeeping in critical national infrastructure such as telecommunications, banking, defence, and emerging technologies like 5G and artificial intelligence.

According to the draft rules, Indian Standard Time will be the mandatory time reference across all sectors including commerce, transport, public administration, legal contracts, and financial operations. Prohibitions on using other time references will be strictly enforced for official and commercial purposes, while government offices and public institutions will have to display the IST in their premises.

For specialized fields like astronomy, navigation, and scientific research, exceptions will be allowed subject to prior approval from the government. The Department of Consumer Affairs is working closely with the National Physical Laboratory and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to develop a robust time generation and dissemination mechanism.

Penalties will be imposed for violating these new standards, with audits planned to ensure compliance across sectors. Public stakeholders are being invited to submit comments and suggestions on the draft rules by February 14, in order to gauge the public's acceptance of these regulations.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi (Image Credits- PTI)

This move aims at promoting precise timekeeping and establishing a uniform standard for all sectors to avoid errors and inconsistencies that may arise from using different time zones. The adoption of Indian Standard Time is expected to have significant benefits in terms of improving accuracy, reliability, and ease of transactions across the country.

Experts have welcomed this initiative stating that precise time with nanosecond accuracy is essential for strategic and non-strategic sectors. With widespread implementation of these new standards, the country can look forward to a smoother and more efficient functioning of its national infrastructure.

The draft rules are subject to public review and feedback, and it remains to be seen how they will shape up in the coming months.

First Published: January 26, 2025