INDIA WILL very shortly roll out a project for dissemination of precise Indian Standard Time, Union Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said on Monday.
Addressing the 89th International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) General Meeting, Joshi said a project is being undertaken by the Department of Consumer Affairs in association with the National Physical Laboratory and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
He said the project aims to create the necessary technology and infrastructure to disseminate Indian Standard Time from five sites across the country. Dissemination of accurate time is essential for both strategic and non-strategic sectors, he said.
On IEC, Joshi said it has played an indispensable role in advancing global standards in the electrotechnical domain. Through its commitment to voluntary, consensus-based standardisation, the IEC has helped shape a world where technology is efficient, interoperable, safe, inclusive and sustainable, he said.
Discussing the role of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Joshi said it has played a pivotal role in India’s transformation. He said India today has nearly 24,000 Indian Standards ensuring that products meet global benchmarks of safety and performance.
“Certification coverage has grown from just 106 products under 14 Quality Control Orders in 2014 to 769 products under 186 QCOs, 2 Horizontal QCOs and Omnibus Technical Regulations at present,” he said.
The minister noted that the introduction of HUID-based hallmarking for gold jewellery in July 2021 has been a milestone reform, under which more than 48 crore articles have already been hallmarked, with hallmarking centres increasing from 285 in 2014 to 1,600 today.
