- India's Department of Posts proposed DHRUVA to digitise and standardise addresses nationwide
- DHRUVA allows users to share virtual addresses like name@entity as proxies for physical locations
- DIGIPIN, a 10-character code representing precise geo-coordinates, is a backbone of the new system
India is preparing to overhaul the way physical addresses work. The Department of Posts has released a draft framework called DHRUVA - Digital Hub for Reference and Unique Virtual Address - a system designed to standardise, geo-code and digitise every address in the country. The initiative aims to make India's addressing system interoperable, secure and as easy to use as email IDs or UPI handles.
What exactly is DHRUVA?
DHRUVA is envisaged as a digital public infrastructure for addresses. Instead of typing full textual addresses, users would be able to share a virtual address such as name@entity.
This label would act as a proxy for the person's full physical address. When an individual authorises a platform, the company receives the exact geo-coordinates and full address instantly.
A Press Information Bureau (PIB) release said the system is consent-based. Users can allow a firm to access their address only for a limited period, after which fresh authorisation is required.
The government hopes this "Address-as-a-Service" (AaaS) model will streamline service delivery and reduce errors and duplication across logistics, banking, e-governance and emergency response systems.
What role does DIGIPIN play?
The backbone of DHRUVA is DIGIPIN, which the Department of Posts launched in March this year.
According to PIB, DIGIPIN is a 10-character alphanumeric code representing precise latitude-longitude coordinates. Each DIGIPIN corresponds to a roughly 14 square metre area, offering far higher precision than traditional addresses - particularly useful in rural or unplanned localities.
A report in The Hindu said that DIGIPIN was open-sourced to encourage wider adoption. More than 228 billion unique DIGIPINs can be generated for India's territory, providing a scalable base for the national addressing grid.
How will the system work?
Under the draft:
- Labels (like name@entity) will be issued by Address Service Providers.
- Consent architecture - controlling when and how an address can be accessed - will be handled by Address Information Agents (AIAs).
- Users can revoke or renew access anytime.
- Private firms are not mandated to join, but the government expects voluntary adoption driven by convenience and interoperability.
The Hindu report further said that DHRUVA's design aims to simplify life for citizens who currently enter their address repeatedly across multiple apps.
Why is India building this now?
The DoP argues that address data is a foundational layer of governance, comparable to identity systems or digital payments. As PIB notes, DHRUVA is meant to enhance:
- Public service delivery
- Emergency response
- E-commerce logistics
- Financial inclusion
- Interoperability between government and private platforms
The framework also seeks to give users greater control of their address data, bringing transparency and trust to how such information is shared.
What happens next?
The Department of Posts has opened the draft for public feedback. It wants state governments, ministries, private firms and logistics platforms to engage with the policy before the system is finalised.
If implemented as proposed, DHRUVA could become one of India's most ambitious digital infrastructure projects - a unified address layer supporting governance, commerce and daily life.
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