Should the Indian Standard Time (IST) be advanced to 6 hours?

Experts have proposed advancing the Indian Standard Time (IST) by half an hour. Stating that such a change is the need of the hour, scientists have said that advancing the IST by half an hour will save energy by upto three billion units every year.

Background:

The time zone for India is based on 82.5° E longitude, passing through Mirzapore, U.P. This makes it five hours and 30 minutes ahead of the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), based on the prime meridian. This is defined as the Indian Standard Time (IST), and has been official time since independence in 1947.

What’s the new proposal?

Experts have suggested a change in IST to six hours ahead of UTC, instead of the present five-and-a-half hours. This would shift the longitude on which IST is based from 82.5° E to 90° E longitude at Bengal-Assam border.

Why?

According to experts, this shift may reduce the energy demand in the evenings as domestic lighting will be reduced by about 16%. This has many economic and operational benefits. It also saves about Rs 1500 crore per annum for the nation.

Analysis:

From West to East, India spans from 68° 7′ E to 97° 25′ E of the 0° longitude or the prime meridian. A spread of more than 29° implies almost two hours time difference in sunrises and sunsets between east and west part of the country. However, it is essential for a country to follow a standardised time so that offices, transport systems and communication systems can function smoothly. The current IST (UTC+5:30hrs) means that people in northeastern states have to work late into the dark, even though sun rises and sets early in their region. The current IST generates a heavy load in electricity, especially in the evenings which most companies find hard to meet and imposes substantial economic loss to the nation.