Overview
- At an international conference in Ujjain on Friday, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan proposed exploring a Mahakal Standard Time as a replacement for Greenwich Mean Time.
- He asked scientists to revisit how the world calculates and names time, citing Ujjain’s historic role in astronomy and saying AI tools identify the region as an original reference point.
- Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav backed the call and argued that traditional Indian methods tied to sunrise, sunset, and planetary movement are more accurate than GMT.
- The visit included inaugurating the Ujjain Science Centre and a science exhibition alongside the ‘Mahakal: The Master of Time’ conference.
- Coverage notes there is no formal plan to change the global standard, and any move away from GMT or its modern successor UTC would need strong evidence and broad international agreement, with the remarks drawing political and social-media debate.