One Nation, One Time: India Takes a Step Towards Uniform Time Across the Country

India is making a landmark move to streamline time management across the country with the One Nation, One Time initiative. This step focuses on adopting Indian Standard Time (IST) as the sole official time for all legal and commercial operations, ensuring uniformity and reliability in various sectors.

The Introduction of One Nation, One Time

In an effort to standardise timekeeping, the Government of India has announced plans to make Indian Standard Time (IST) the only official time for all legal, commercial, and official activities across the nation. The initiative was formally discussed during a Roundtable Conference held in New Delhi by the Department of Consumer Affairs.

The primary objective of this initiative is to eliminate discrepancies caused by the use of multiple time zones and to improve the accuracy of time across various sectors such as banking, stock exchanges, and telecommunications.

The Legal Framework for Time Uniformity

To make this change official, the government is introducing new legal guidelines under the Legal Metrology (Indian Standard Time) Rules 2025. These rules will ensure that only Indian Standard Time (IST) is used for legal and commercial purposes, thereby prohibiting the use of any other time reference for official activities.

This move will help streamline processes and create a more organised system for managing time across industries, fostering better coordination and reducing confusion caused by varying time references.

Improving Time Accuracy with Regional Laboratories

To ensure the accuracy and traceability of Indian Standard Time (IST), the government is establishing 5 Regional Reference Standard Laboratories (RRSLs) in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Faridabad, and Guwahati. These labs will be equipped with atomic clocks and will use secure technologies such as Network Time Protocol (NTP) and Precision Time Protocol (PTP) to ensure time accuracy down to the millisecond or microsecond level.

These measures are essential for sectors that rely on precise time, including banking, stock exchanges, electricity supply, telecommunications, and transport. With these initiatives, India aims to enhance time distribution and ensure that all sectors operate under a uniform time standard.

Reducing Dependency on GPS Technology

One of the key motivations behind the One Nation, One Time initiative is to reduce India’s dependency on Global Positioning System (GPS) technology, which is vulnerable to interference and security threats. The government acknowledges that maintaining reliable timekeeping is crucial for the efficient functioning of government operations and various sectors.

By improving the accuracy and traceability of IST through national-level infrastructure, India aims to enhance the robustness of its timekeeping system while reducing reliance on external technologies.

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A Collaborative Effort Involving Experts and Organisations

The One Nation, One Time initiative has seen the involvement of over 100 experts and representatives from leading organisations like ISRO, CSIR-NPL, NSE, and major telecom companies. More than 60 meetings have been held since 2018, highlighting the extensive effort behind this project.

Bharat Khera, Additional Secretary, emphasised that this collaboration aims to enhance the overall governance framework through improved accuracy and coordination across all sectors.

Conclusion

India’s move towards adopting Indian Standard Time (IST) as the sole official time for all legal and commercial activities marks a significant step in ensuring national uniformity and precision in time management. The government’s efforts to set up Regional Reference Standard Laboratories and reduce dependence on GPS technology will go a long way in enhancing accuracy across critical sectors. With strong collaboration between government agencies and industry experts, this initiative is set to optimise time distribution and coordination across India.

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