Bengaluru, July 16 (IANS) Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, and New and Renewable Energy, Pralhad Joshi, inaugurated the ‘White Rabbit Technology’‑based ‘Indian Standard Time (IST) Distribution Demonstration Network’ on Thursday at the Regional Reference Standards Laboratory (RRSL) in Jakkur, Bengaluru.

Speaking on the occasion, the Union Minister said the initiative, implemented under the vision of ‘One Nation, One Time,’ marks a historic step toward establishing a uniform, highly precise, and secure time standard across India.

He emphasised that the new system upholds the sovereignty of India’s digital infrastructure by eliminating reliance on foreign time sources such as GPS. By reducing dependence on external references, critical sectors will gain protection against risks like cyber‑attacks and data manipulation.

He noted that high‑precision time synchronisation will be revolutionary in maintaining the stability of financial markets, stock exchanges, digital banking, telecommunications networks, and national power grids.

The Legal Metrology Division of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs is the nodal agency for the project, realised through collaboration with the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), ISRO, BSNL, and SEBI.

Joshi said the indigenous system, operating in compliance with global Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) protocols, will strengthen India’s internal security while maintaining international quality standards.

He added that uniform time protocols will serve as a foundational pillar for future technology‑driven digital governance and transparency in public services.

Nidhi Khare, Secretary of the Department of Consumer Affairs; Anupam Mishra, Additional Secretary; Ashutosh Agarwal, Director of Legal Metrology; and other officials were present at the event.

–IANS

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