Centre pushes for ‘One Nation, One Time’: How will this work?

In the latest development, the Centre has drafted comprehensive rules mandating the exclusive use of Indian Standard Time (IST) across all official and commercial platforms.

In line with the ‘One Nation, One Time’ initiative, the Consumer Affairs Ministry has sought feedback by February 14.

The Legal Metrology (Indian Standard Time) Rules, 2024, aim to establish a legal framework for standardising timekeeping practices.

Here’s all we know about it.

What is One Nation, One Time?

The One Nation, One Time proposal suggests that all government activities across the country should operate under the same standard time, prohibiting the use of alternative time references unless explicitly permitted by the government.

This also includes legal, administrative, commercial, and official documents.

According to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, the initiative aims to ensure uniformity in timekeeping, enhance economic efficiency, and bolster national security.

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The project, undertaken in collaboration with the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), seeks to disseminate IST with millisecond to microsecond accuracy.

To achieve this precision, infrastructure will be established in five Legal Metrology laboratories across India.

How will it work?

Currently, India may be on IST today; the exact time is determined by GPS satellites, down to milliseconds, and is linked to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).

IST, based on UTC with a 5:30-hour offset, is maintained by the CSIR-NPL.

In the next few months, this will change with the NPL soon being connected to the Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) system to provide the reference time, as per News18.

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Located in Faridabad, the NPL will receive time data from NavIC which will be shared through an optic fibre link with four other centres — Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, and Guwahati — with each having an atomic clock.

An atomic clock uses particular atom resonance frequencies to operate and is renowned for its extraordinary accuracy. The atomic clock will lose one second every 100 million years or thereabouts, which explains their extremely high levels of precision.

Instead of service providers accessing data from many sources connected to GPS, the implementation of atomic clocks will guarantee that the time displayed on digital watches, cellphones, and computers is based on the atomic clocks.

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Why is there a need for change?

The Kargil War highlighted the urgent need for an indigenous time system.

India’s capacity to precisely target enemy positions was hindered by its reliance on time data from foreign satellites.

The government started this project around seven years ago after realising the strategic value of independence in this area.

How will the transition happen?

A high-powered interministerial committee, chaired by the Secretary of Consumer Affairs, has been constituted. The committee includes representatives from NPL, ISRO, IIT Kanpur, NIC, CERT-In, SEBI, and various government departments, including Railways, Telecom, and Financial Services, according to ANI.

The government published the Draft Legal Metrology (Indian Standard Time) Rules, 2025, on January 15 for public consultation.

Public feedback is invited until February 14, 2025, through the official website of the Department of Consumer Affairs.

Key provisions include the adoption of reliable synchronisation protocols like the Network Time Protocol (NTP) and Precision Time Protocol (PTP) for government offices and public institutions.

Cybersecurity measures and alternative reference mechanisms will also be implemented to ensure resilience during cyberattacks or disruptions.

Additionally, compliance audits will be conducted periodically, and penalties will be imposed for violations.

Exceptions will be granted for scientific, astronomical, and navigational purposes with prior government approval, as per PTI.

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How will it benefit the country?

The draft rules are poised to revolutionise time management in India by providing a unified and precise timekeeping framework.

Enhanced synchronisation will facilitate accurate financial transactions, improve emergency response coordination, and ensure consistent scheduling of public transportation.

Moreover, standardised timekeeping will streamline legal and regulatory compliance, optimising industrial operations and boosting global competitiveness.

Critical sectors such as navigation, telecommunications, 5G technologies, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things (IoT), and power grid synchronization stand to benefit significantly.

At present, many Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) rely on foreign time sources like GPS instead of IST, posing risks to cybersecurity and the reliability of critical infrastructure.

Reliable synchronisation of digital devices and communication networks will improve consumer services and operational efficiency, creating a more robust infrastructure.

With inputs from agencies