Which institution is the scientific custodian of Indian Standard Time?
- A.CSIR-National Physical Laboratory
- B.Indian Institute of Astrophysics
- C.Survey of India
- D.India Meteorological Department
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is CSIR-National Physical Laboratory. It is India's National Metrology Institute, mandated to set up primary national standards and to disseminate them. It maintains the national atomic time scale, generating IST from an ensemble of atomic clocks together with a primary frequency standard, and keeps that scale traceable to within a few nanoseconds of Coordinated Universal Time, which the International Bureau of Weights and Measures maintains. Under the new Rules the Legal Metrology Department is the regulator and enforcer while CSIR-NPL provides the scientific foundation, so the two roles should be held apart. Options B, C and D are all real national scientific bodies, dealing with astronomy, mapping and weather respectively, but none of them is named in the release and none maintains the national time scale.
Read the full article: Legal Metrology (Indian Standard Time) Rules 2026 Notified
Practice Questions
After how many days from Gazette publication do the Legal Metrology (Indian Standard Time) Rules, 2026 come into force?
- A.30 days
- B.90 days
- C.180 days
- D.365 days
Show answer
The Rules were notified by the Department of Consumer Affairs on 27 August 2026 and published in the Official Gazette on 29 August 2026, and the release states that they take effect 180 days from the date of that publication.
Read the full explanation →Secondary timescales traceable to IST have been set up at Regional Reference Standard Laboratories in how many cities?
- A.Three
- B.Five
- C.Seven
- D.Nine
Show answer
CSIR-NPL, ISRO and the Legal Metrology Department jointly established secondary timescales at Regional Reference Standard Laboratories in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Faridabad and Guwahati.
Read the full explanation →Which satellite navigation system is used to disseminate Indian Standard Time?
- A.GAGAN
- B.NavIC
- C.Galileo
- D.GLONASS
Show answer
CSIR-NPL provides traceability of Indian Standard Time to ISRO for the NavIC system, which allows the time to be spread by satellite and strengthens both the availability and the resilience of national timing services.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following categories of pending matters was taken up by the Ministry of Steel under SCDPM 6?
- A.Only internal departmental audit paragraphs
- B.Only court cases pending before tribunals
- C.References from MPs, the PMO, VIPs and the Cabinet, State Governments and CPGRAMS cases
- D.Only pending tender and procurement files
Show answer
The campaign set out to institutionalise Swachhta and to address pending matters across these several categories, which is why its reporting covers both paperwork and public grievances.
Read the full explanation →Roughly how much office space did the Ministry of Steel free during SCDPM 6 through disposal of scrap, e-waste and redundant files?
- A.About 17,501 square feet
- B.About 21,164 square feet
- C.About 7,501 square feet
- D.About 1,750 square feet
Show answer
The ministry reported that approximately this much office space was released during the campaign by clearing scrap, electronic waste and files that were no longer required.
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