Why Modi government ordered internet service providers to adopt IST
What's the story
The Ministry of Telecommunications has ordered Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to adopt Indian Standard Time (IST). The move is part of the "One Nation, One Time" initiative. The Indian government believes that adopting IST will help tackle national and cybersecurity challenges, improve regulatory reporting accuracy, and enable better management of critical infrastructure like Indian Railways.
Directive
Draft rules under consultation
The Department of Consumer Affairs had earlier proposed Draft Legal Metrology (Indian Standard Time) Rules, which are still under consultation and not notified. Now, DOT's letter to ISPs advises them to take necessary pre-emptive actions as per the draft rules. It also requests them to synchronize their clocks with the servers maintained by National Informatics Centre or National Physical Laboratory. This is in line with the DCA's push for a legal mandate requiring all entities to adopt IST (UTC +5:30).
Fine
Penalties for any non-compliance
Currently, telecom companies and ISPs are not legally bound to adopt IST. However, the proposed rules would make it mandatory to do so and also introduce penalties for any non-compliance.