Answer

India currently follows a single time zone (IST – UTC+5:30) despite spanning over 29° longitude from Gujarat to Arunachal Pradesh. This creates a significant sunrise disparity that wastes daylight in the East. The demand for two time zones aims to better align working hours with natural daylight, improving governance and productivity.

Potential Contribution of Two Time Zones to Governance Efficiency and Economic Productivity

Governance Efficiency

• Better alignment with local daylight: Two time zones enable government offices in the Northeast to start work aligned with sunrise.
  Eg. Assam’s early sunrise at 4:30 am is underutilized with government offices starting at IST 10 am.
• Improved public service delivery: Aligning work hours with natural daylight ensures schools, healthcare centers operate when people are most active and alert, enhancing accessibility and efficiency of services.
• Enhanced law enforcement: Daylight-aligned timings aid timely police patrols and emergency services.
  Eg. In Arunachal Pradesh, earlier time zones would extend daylight for LAC border patrols, improving surveillance and reducing risks from early sunsets under IST.
• More Effective Disaster Management: Aligning disaster response timings with natural daylight enhances coordination and accelerates rescue operations during emergencies.

Economic Productivity

• Reduced productivity loss: Early sunrise in the East can be better utilized, increasing labour output.
  Eg. Northeast tea gardens follow “Chai Bagan Time” (one hour ahead of IST) to maximize daylight use.
• Significant energy savings: Two time zones reduce reliance on artificial lighting, cutting power consumption.
  Eg. A National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS) study calculated that advancing IST by half an hour would save 2.7 billion units of electricity annually.
• Boost to women’s workforce participation: Daylight-based working hours improve safety and work-life balance.
• Improved civil aviation efficiency: Time zone differences align airport operations with daylight, enabling more flight rotations and shorter turnaround times.
  Eg. The Ministry of Civil Aviation estimates a 20% increase in aircraft usage with dual time zones with a one-hour difference.

Challenges in Implementing Two Time Zones in India

• Coordination complexities: Railways, banking, and communication systems face synchronization challenges.
  Eg. Indian Railways manages over 13,500 passenger trains daily on a single time grid, which could face disruption with two time zones.
• Chaos at Time Zone Borders: In regions with low literacy and awareness, switching clocks while crossing time zones may cause confusion.
  Eg. Managing clock resets near state borders like West Bengal–Assam could lead to local administrative chaos.
• Legal and constitutional hurdles: IST is legally defined, requiring parliamentary amendments for change.
  Eg. The Standards of Weights and Measures Act, 1956 governs IST.
• Infrastructural Burden: Implementing two zones requires major scientific infrastructure upgrades, including new time-keeping labs.
  Eg. CSIR-NPL would need to set up a second Primary Time Ensemble-II traceable to UTC at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM), France.
• National Integration Concerns: A dual time zone may deepen regional divides, reinforcing perceptions of North-East alienation. Critics fear it could fuel separatist sentiments in the North Eastern Region (NER), already sensitive to identity issues.

Way Forward

• Adoption of Daylight Saving Time (DST): Implementing DST from April to September can align activities with daylight and boost the economy.
  Eg. Countries like China, Singapore, and South Korea use DST to save energy and extend tourist activity during evenings.
• Permanent Time Shift of IST: Advancing IST by 30 minutes to align with 90°E (UTC+6:00) offers a unified alternative to two zones.
• Stakeholder consultations: The Government should engage with the Public, businesses, and academicians to build consensus for time zone reforms.
• Flexible working hours: States can adopt sunrise-linked timings without changing IST formally.
  Eg. Mizoram’s government suggested that offices should operate from 7 am to 2 pm, improving efficiency.

Adopting two time zones promises significant gains in governance efficiency and economic growth by syncing activities with natural daylight. Success hinges on a carefully coordinated, technology-enabled, and inclusive approach, paving the way for a more productive and united India.

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