By Shweta Jena
From GPS satellites connected to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) to Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC), India is on its journey to a ‘One India, One Time’ policy. The launch of NavIC, a regional navigation satellite system designed to record precise position, velocity, and timing, has initiated this vision.
The initiative was put forth by the Department of Consumer Affairs with support from the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). A few months down the line, NavIC with a link to the National Physical Laboratory to provide the recommended time, while a lab in Faridabad will note this time and share it through an optic fibre link to four centres in different parts of the country—Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Ahmedabad, and Guwahati, each equipped with an atomic clock. The atomic clocks will ensure synchronised time on digital watches, smartphones, and laptops based on NavIC and not on the data from varied sources linked to GPS.
This initiative directs the use of single-time references for all government works and bars the use of other alternative time references unless permitted otherwise. It includes legal, commercial, administrative, and other official documents. It seeks to bring all under a single time zone, escalating economic efficiency by circulating IST with millisecond to microsecond accuracy.
According to a government statement, “Users will gain a great deal from the Legal Meteorology (Indian Standard Time) rules since they establish a thorough framework for consistent and accurate timekeeping throughout the nation. By coordinating governmental services, technology infrastructure, and communication networks, these regulations promote smooth interactions and increase economic efficiency.”
The new government proposal will replace the old GPS satellite used by India for time determination with the new NavIC. This initiative will make India a self-reliant country for time dissemination and synchronisation.
It would create India’s own accurate and dependable time distribution network, decreasing dependence on other systems and boosting national security, according to former consumer affairs secretary Rohit Kumar Singh.