NEW DELHI: Did you know the Indian Standard Time (IST) is derived from the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) with an offset of +5.30 hours? It is a successor to the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Years after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a ‘One Nation, One Time’ pitch, the Department of Consumer Affairs, in collaboration with CSIR-NPL and ISRO, is set to notify a bunch of rules for synchronisation of all activities with IST. It may not appear to be a big deal for the aam aadmi, but synchronisation would make digital transactions more secure, add accuracy to utility billing and reduce risks of cybercrime.Currently, Indian industries depend on the GPS of US satellites for synchronised time. But it can be vulnerable to manipulation.For context, the time standard used for the recent four-day Operation Sindoor against Pakistan was not linked to the GPS to keep it away from the prying eyes of the enemy.The government has now directed that all legal, commercial, and administrative activities be synchronised with IST. The use of alternative time references will be prohibited.Establishing a domestic source of time standard is critical for sectors like telecom, where even nanoseconds can make a difference.
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