Consumer Affairs Department Proposes Draft Rules For High-Precision Indian Standard Time

(MENAFN- KNN India) New Delhi, Jan 27 (KNN) The Department of Consumer Affairs has announced comprehensive draft rules mandating the adoption of Indian Standard Time across all sectors, collaborating with the National Physical Laboratory and the Indian Space Research Organisation to establish a high-precision timekeeping framework.

The proposed legal Metrology (Indian Standard Time) Rules, 2025, aim to disseminate IST with millisecond to microsecond accuracy through five Legal Metrology laboratories nationwide.

The initiative addresses a critical gap in India's technological infrastructure, where many Telecom and Internet Service Providers currently rely on foreign time sources such as GPS.

The new framework emphasises national security and operational efficiency by requiring synchronisation of all networks and systems to IST, which maintains a UTC offset of +5:30 hours under the supervision of CSIR-National Physical Laboratory.

To oversee this transformation, the government has established a high-powered inter-ministerial committee chaired by the Secretary of Consumer Affairs.

The committee includes representatives from key institutions and departments, including NPL, ISRO, IIT Kanpur, NIC, CERT-In, SEBI, Railways, Telecom, and Financial Services.

Their mandate encompasses drafting rules for IST adoption, establishing synchronisation protocols, and developing regulatory frameworks for time-stamping and cybersecurity.

The proposed rules outline specific technical requirements, mandating the adoption of reliable synchronisation protocols such as Network Time Protocol and Precision Time Protocol across government offices and public institutions.

While maintaining strict compliance requirements, the framework allows exceptions for scientific, astronomical, and navigational purposes, subject to prior government approval. Regular audits will monitor compliance, with penalties for violations.

This standardisation initiative is expected to have far-reaching implications across multiple sectors. The precise timekeeping framework will enhance critical operations in navigation, telecommunications, power grid synchronisation, banking, and digital governance.

Additionally, it will support advanced scientific research, including deep space navigation and gravitational wave detection. The rules also aim to facilitate accurate financial transactions, improve emergency response coordination, and ensure consistent public transportation scheduling.

The draft rules, published on the department's website on January 15, 2025, for public consultation, represent a significant step toward technological advancement and strategic security.

This comprehensive approach to time management is designed to enhance India's operational efficiency across sectors while establishing a robust foundation for future technological innovations in areas such as 5G technologies, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things.

(KNN Bureau)

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