The Government of India has taken a very big step today towards implementing ‘One Nation, One Time’. An important meeting was held with all the major stakeholders. In this meeting, Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare said that India will soon run on its own accurate time – that too without depending on any foreign systems. This is a historic initiative towards India’s digital sovereignty.
What is ‘One Nation, One Time’
So far India has been dependent on the US and other foreign satellite systems for time data. But now, India will determine its own time with the help of NavIC (Indian Navigation Satellite System) and NPL (National Physical Laboratory). NavIC is India’s navigation satellite system, which works like GPS but has been designed according to India’s needs. NPL is India’s National Physical Laboratory, which determines the standards of the time. This change will make India more technologically self-reliant.
How will we get this accurate time
Atomic clocks have been installed in 5 places in India. These clocks provide accuracy up to nanoseconds. This will make a difference of less than 0.1 milliseconds in the calculation of time, which is almost negligible at the human level. This accuracy will revolutionize various sectors and make the data more reliable.
What did Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare say
Nidhi Khare said that this is a huge step towards India’s digital sovereignty. She said, “Now we will not have to depend on foreign time systems. Everything will be decided by our country’s time zone, atomic clock, and satellite.” This announcement establishes India as a strong technological power globally.
When will it be implemented
This process is in the final stage, and soon notification will be issued for all sectors. Possibly, it can be implemented in a phased manner from the first quarter of the financial year 2026 (FY26). This means that in the next few months, we will be able to see this big change with our own eyes.