DHRUVA Addressing System Proposed Under Post Office Act Amendment

The Department of Posts has published a draft amendment to the Post Office Act, 2023 to introduce a digital, standardised addressing framework known as DHRUVA. The initiative is designed to make address sharing interoperable, user-centric and suited to India’s expanding digital ecosystem. It aims to reduce repetitive form-filling, improve accuracy and support private sector innovation.

Concept and Structure of DHRUVA

DHRUVA, short for Digital Hub for Reference and Unique Virtual Address, proposes replacing traditional textual addresses with virtual labels similar to email or UPI handles. These labels, structured as “name@entity”, would act as proxies for physical locations. Users would be able to share their addresses instantly through these identifiers, improving convenience across public and private services.

Role of Private Participants and Governance

The framework is envisioned as part of India’s digital public infrastructure. A Section 8 not-for-profit entity, supervised by the postal department, will manage core operations similar to the NPCI model. Participation by private firms is voluntary. Entities such as e-commerce platforms and gig-economy services are expected to benefit from simplified address management and seamless consent-based access.

Consent Architecture and User Controls

Under the proposal, users may permit firms to access the full address and geolocation data behind their virtual labels for fixed periods. Once the authorisation expires, firms must seek fresh consent. Address service providers will issue labels, while address information agents will oversee the consent framework. The system is designed to preserve user autonomy and data security.

Exam Oriented Facts

• DHRUVA stands for Digital Hub for Reference and Unique Virtual Address.
• Addresses may be shared using virtual labels such as “name@entity”.
• A Section 8 not-for-profit body will govern the ecosystem under government oversight.
• Consent-based access allows firms to view geolocation data only for authorised periods.

DIGIPIN as the Technical Foundation

DIGIPIN, a 10-character alphanumeric code representing latitude and longitude, underpins the DHRUVA ecosystem. Each DIGIPIN corresponds to a 14-square-metre area and provides highly precise location data, crucial for rural and poorly mapped regions. Open-sourced by the postal department, the system can generate around 228 billion unique identifiers across India.