India Mandates IST as Sole Official Time for All Operations

The Indian government has mandated Indian Standard Time (IST) as the sole official time reference for all legal, administrative, commercial, and digital operations across the country, effective from March 2027. The new regulations, notified under the Legal Metrology Act, 2009, aim to create a unified national timekeeping system and reduce dependence on foreign time sources like GPS for critical infrastructure. The Legal Metrology Indian Standard Time Rules, 2026, were officially notified by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs on August 27.