Draft legal metrology rules released promptly to ensure real Indian time

New Delhi: The government on Monday notified rules to harmonize all Indian clocks with indigenous atomic clocks to lend the Indian Standard Time a “millisecond to nanosecond accuracy”.    

The draft Legal Metrology (Indian Standard Time) Rules, 2025, notified by the Department of Consumer Affairs (DoCA), seeks to ensure uniformity and precision in timekeeping – an outcome a government press release said will lead to ‘One Nation, One Time.’  

Mint was the first to report on the proposed development on 27 March 2024.

Currently, most software operating modules in India rely on US-based Network Time Protocol servers. This move will mandate that all software is synchronized with indigenous atomic clocks, ensuring uniformity in time – particularly important during times of war.

Developed in collaboration with the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the draft rules aim to build a regulatory framework One Nation One Time.

The new framework will use advanced infrastructure, including five legal metrology laboratories across India, to align systems and networks with IST, it said.

Legal metrology is the application of legal requirements to measurements and measuring instruments.

Once the exercise is completed, all computers, smartphones, digital watches, and digital radios will have Indian time managed by NPL and the consumer affairs ministry’s Regional Reference Standard Laboratories.

As of now, only four other countries—the US, UK, Japan and South Korea—have their own atomic clocks.

Why is the move important

Accurate timekeeping is essential for navigation, telecom, power grids, banking, and technologies like artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things (IoT). Currently, many telecom and internet providers depend on foreign time sources like GPS, which can pose a risk to national security and real-time operations.

The draft rules include cybersecurity measures to prevent disruptions and allow exceptions for scientific, astronomical, and navigational purposes with government approval. Regular audits and penalties for violations are also proposed, and it is open for public comments until 14 February.

Compliance will be monitored through regular audits, with penalties for non-compliance. The rules also outline the synchronization process, implementation guidelines, and accuracy standards, ensuring nationwide alignment with IST.

“The adoption of these rules is expected to streamline financial transactions, optimize industrial operations, and improve the synchronization of national infrastructure and communication networks. Enhanced precision in sectors such as 5G technologies, power grids, and navigation systems is anticipated to drive technological integration and global competitiveness,” the government press release said.

To address these challenges, a high-level committee was formed to create policies and regulations for adopting IST under the Legal Metrology Act, 2009. Chaired by the secretary of Consumer Affairs, it includes representatives from NPL, ISRO, IIT Kanpur, NIC, CERT-In, Sebi, and key government departments like Railways, Telecom, and Financial Services.

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The committee held meetings to draft rules for adopting IST, setting network synchronization guidelines, and developing frameworks for time-stamping, cybersecurity, and monitoring the IST project’s progress with advanced technology.