Govt Notifies Rules Making IST Mandatory Across India

NEW DELHI, Sep 3: The Government has notified the Legal Metrology (Indian Standard Time) Rules, 2026, paving the way for Indian Standard Time (IST) to become the common, legally recognised and traceable time reference across the country.

The rules were notified by the Department of Consumer Affairs on August 27 and published in the Official Gazette on August 29.

They establish a comprehensive framework for the generation, maintenance, dissemination and use of IST, aimed at ensuring consistency in timekeeping across critical sectors and digital systems.

The Rules will come into force 180 days from the date of their publication in the Official Gazette.

The move is part of the Government’s “One Nation, One Time” vision, under which a common and reliable time reference is intended to support the functioning of critical infrastructure, digital platforms and other systems across the country.

The initiative is expected to strengthen uniformity in legal and commercial timekeeping while improving traceability and reliability in systems that depend on precise time references. (Agencies)