
Minister of Trade Unions for Consumer, Food and Distribution of Pralhad Joshi, during a round table conference on the spread of Indian standard time (IST), Vigyan Bhawan in Nový Delhi 18 June 2025 | Photo Credit: Neither
The Ministry of Consumer Consumer Affairs stated here on Wednesday (June 18, 2025) that the proposed rules for legal metrology (Indian standard time) would order the synchronization of all legal, administrative and commercial operations with IST, making Indian timing infrastructure to be legally enforced, digitally secured and worldwide.
Briefing reporters after the “round table conference in the spread of time”, Minister of Consumer Consumers said Pralhad Joshi that it is strategically important to synchronize all legal, commercial and administrative activities with IST to use alternative time references unless explicitly authorized.
He said that accurate and uniform spreading of ist across sectors such as financial markets, energy networks, telecommunications, transport and others are necessary to ensure justice, accuracy and national security. “The Initiative Aims to Deliver ist with Millisecond to Microsecond Accuracy Through Five Regional Reference Standard Laboratories Protocol), Ushering in and New Era of Digital and Administrative Efficience Under the Vision of ‘One Nation, One Time’, ”Mr. Joshi Said.
Nidhi Khare, Minister of the Ministry, said there was an urgent need for accurate, safe and legally authorized spread of IST to ensure uniformity across strategic and non -strategic sectors. She stated that in the project of spreading time distribution, the Ministry in cooperation with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research – National Physical Laboratory (CSIR – NPL) and Indian Space Research Organization (ISRA) introduces advanced infrastructure including five RRSL in Ahmedabad, Bengalurur, Bhubaneswar, Faridabad and Guwahati.
She said that the current dependence on foreign sources of time poses risks such as cyber security vulnerabilities such as spoofing and interference. She added that the implementation of new rules would be a key step to ensure traceability, increase operational reliability and support national time sovereignty. “The initiative is the main step in building a trustworthy and standardized digital ecosystem across the country,” she added.
Published – 18 June 2025 9:03