What is the India Post’s DHRUVA framework?, Pg10

Key Highlights:

• The Department of Posts proposed DHRUVA in May, a framework for standardizing and sharing physical addresses via email-like "labels".
• DHRUVA aims to improve governance, service delivery, and user experience, enabled by a draft amendment to the Post Office Act, 2023.
• DIGIPIN, a 10-digit alphanumeric pin code based on location coordinates, complements DHRUVA.
• DHRUVA functions as a Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), similar to Aadhaar and UPI, allowing various platforms to use labels instead of full addresses.

Detailed Insights:

• DHRUVA's ecosystem includes Address Service Providers, Address Validation Agencies, Address Information Agents, and a governance entity akin to the National Payments Corporation of India.
• DIGIPIN, developed in-house by India Post, assigns a unique code to every 12 square meter block in India, aiding precise location identification, especially in rural areas.
• A key use case of DHRUVA is consent-based data sharing, enabling users to control access to their address information and update addresses seamlessly when relocating.
• Dvara Research suggests a draft law is necessary to authorize DHRUVA's data collection architecture, emphasizing the need for a consent-based mechanism for address sharing.
• The effectiveness of DHRUVA for urban governance is debated, as the system links addresses to individuals rather than independently surveyed structures, potentially leading to incomplete datasets if consent is withheld.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI): A shared digital platform or system that enables various services and applications across different sectors.
• Consent-based data sharing: A framework where individuals have control over who can access their personal data and for how long.
• Tokenization: The process of replacing sensitive data with non-sensitive substitutes, like replacing bank account details with a UPI address.