DHRUVA (Digital Hub for Reference and Unique Virtual Address)
iasparliament
June 03, 2025
Prelims: Current events of national and international importance | Governance
Why in News?
Department of Posts, Ministry of Communications has recently has recently released a comprehensive policy document titled DHRUVA.
DHRUVA policy lays out the framework for a national Digital Address Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI).
Aim - It envisions a standardized, interoperable, and geocoded digital addressing system that supports secure, consent-based, and seamless sharing of address information.
Core Concept -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.
Key Interfaces of DHRUVA
DHRUVA is not conceptualized as a centralized platform, but a modular DPI that provides a diverse set of interfaces for streamlined address management and data exchange.
Objectives of DHRUVA
Establish a Unified Interface for Geo-coded Addressing
Enabling Privacy, including by Design
Enhance Efficiency in Public and Private Service Delivery
Strengthen Decision-Making Through Address Intelligence
Enable Ecosystem-wide Interoperability and Innovation
Support Inclusive and Equitable Development
Facilitate Trust and Consistency in Digital Addresses
Promote Scalability, Public-Private Collaboration and Future-Readiness
By giving users meaningful control over their address data, the policy promotes user autonomy, drives innovation, and supports ease of living.
Furthermore, DHRUVA seeks to foster a collaborative ecosystem in which public and private stakeholders co-create user-centric solutions built on a secure and trusted digital foundation.
It aims to catalyze innovation across key sectors, such as governance, e-commerce, logistics, and financial inclusion through broad-based adoption by ministries, state governments, and other stakeholders.
To deliver this service, DHRUVA is being developed as a technological ecosystem consisting of two key ‘layers’
The Digital Postal Index Number (‘DIGIPIN’) Layer and
