About Digital Hub for Reference and Unique Virtual Address (DHRUVA):
- Developed by the Department of Posts, DHRUVA sets the foundation for a nationwide Digital Address Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI).
- It envisions a standardized, interoperable, and geocoded digital addressing system that supports secure, consent-based, and seamless sharing of address information.
- At its core is the concept of Address-as-a-Service (AaaS) — the array of services associated with address data management to support secure and efficient interactions between users, government entities, and private sector organizations.
- The AaaS Framework Ensures:
- Interoperability across different address systems used by various sectors.
- Standardization of address formats and geolocation tagging.
- Consent-based sharing to empower user control and privacy.
- Public-private integration for seamless adoption and innovation.
- By recognizing digital addresses as core infrastructure, akin to Aadhaar and Unified Payments Interface (UPI), DHRUVA sets out to streamline everything from e-governance and online commerce to urban planning and emergency services.
- The policy also places emphasis on user-centric design, ensuring that citizens have meaningful control over how their address data is used and shared.
- Citizens will retain full control over their digital address identity, with options to manage access, update details, and share their verified address securely for various use cases.
- The DHRUVA platform will also feature multilingual support, mobile-first access, and integration with identity systems like Aadhaar, thereby improving usability and accessibility for all demographics.
- The DHRUVA policy builds upon the earlier launch of the Digital Postal Index Number (DIGIPIN)—the National Addressing Grid introduced by the Department of Posts.
Key Facts about DIGIPIN:
- It is an open-source nationwide geo-coded addressing system developed by the Department of Posts in collaboration with IIT Hyderabad and NRSC, ISRO.
- It divides India into grids and assigns each grid a unique alphanumeric code based on latitude and longitude
- The DIGIPIN system is publicly accessible and supports improvements in emergency response, logistics efficiency, and citizen service delivery.
