DHRUVA

DHRUVA

Syllabus Areas:

GS II - Governance

GS III - Economy, S & T

The Department of Posts has released a draft amendment to the Post Office Act, 2023 to introduce a new digital addressing system called DHRUVA (Digital Hub for Reference and Unique Virtual Address). This move aims to standardise how addresses are stored, shared, and authenticated in India, replacing conventional text-based addresses with virtual, UPI-like labels. The framework builds on the DIGIPIN system launched earlier this year.

Draft Amendment and Objective

• The government has proposed amendments to facilitate a national, interoperable addressing ecosystem.
• Aim: replace traditional textual addresses with digital, proxy-based virtual addresses.
• System: DHRUVA, designed to function as a Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), similar to UPI or Aadhaar.

What DHRUVA Seeks to Achieve

• Introduce email-like address labels (e.g., name@entity) that represent a user’s physical location.
• Provide a standard format for address sharing across sectors and services.
• Eliminate repeated entry of addresses on e-commerce, gig economy, and delivery platforms.

Part of India’s DPI Expansion

• DHRUVA is conceptualised as a new layer in India’s expanding DPI stack.
• The government plans to create a Section 8 not-for-profit organisation to manage and oversee the ecosystem.
• The structural model mirrors NPCI, which governs UPI.

System Architecture: Roles & Responsibilities

1. Address Service Providers (ASPs)
   • Issue virtual address labels to users.
   • Equivalent to Payment Service Providers (PSPs) in UPI.
2. Address Information Agents (AIAs)
   • Manage consent, data flow, and authorisation protocols.
   • Similar to “consent managers” in the Account Aggregator framework.

Consent-Driven Address Sharing

• Users explicitly authorise platforms to view their full address or coordinates.
• Permission is time-bound; reauthorisation is necessary after expiry.
• No mandatory participation—private players can voluntarily adopt the system.
• The model prioritises data privacy, user autonomy, and transparency.

Use Cases in E-commerce & Gig Platforms

• Users can share a virtual label instead of writing full addresses every time.
• Platforms can instantly fetch the verified address + location coordinates.
• Benefits:
  • Faster onboarding
  • Lower delivery errors
  • Streamlined logistics
  • Reduces repetitive data entry across multiple apps

DIGIPIN: The Foundational Layer

• DIGIPIN = 10-character alphanumeric code mapping to latitude-longitude coordinates.
• Precision: ~14 sq. metres per code.
• Purpose:
  • Improve location accuracy in rural/ambiguous-address areas.
  • Standardise geospatial identification across India.
• 228 billion DIGIPINs possible for Indian territory.
• Technology is open-sourced, allowing innovation and private sector adoption.

Governance Structure & Institutional Design

• The proposed Section 8 company will function under government oversight.
• Expected roles:
  • Standard-setting
  • Certifying ASPs and AIAs
  • Ensuring security, interoperability, and consistency

Policy Rationale & Benefits

• Streamlines address verification and delivery.
• Reduces discrepancies caused by varied formats of Indian addresses.
• Creates a unified address vocabulary across services.
• Significant potential applications in:
  • Emergency response
  • Policing and disaster management
  • Public service delivery
  • Census and surveys

Critical Concerns

• Adoption depends on voluntary participation — may face inertia.
• Data privacy must be tightly guarded; risk of misuse if consent systems fail.
• Rural digital literacy could slow mass adoption.
• Addresses linked with coordinates may raise security and surveillance concerns if poorly regulated.
• Coordination with state/urban local bodies could become administratively complex.

Future Outlook

• If the ecosystem scales like UPI, DHRUVA could become:
  • the national standard for digital addressing,
  • a core layer for logistics, commerce, and governance,
  • and a transformative tool for India’s public digital infrastructure.
• Potential to evolve into the “UPI for locations”.