The government has notified the Legal Metrology (Indian Standard Time) Rules, 2026, mandating IST as the legally recognised national time reference. Effective 180 days after publication, the rules establish a distributed architecture through CSIR-NPL, ISRO, and RRSLs to ensure reliable dissemination of IST across critical sectors.
India is building a sovereign timing system to reduce dependence on GPS for precise time. From banking and telecom to power grids and 5G, the ‘One Nation, One Time’ initiative aims to synchronise critical digital infrastructure using IST, NavIC and atomic clocks
