Why in the news?

The Indian government has launched a new digital address system called DIGIPIN, aiming to enable the precise identification of locations throughout the country. DIGIPIN is expected to streamline services such as last-mile delivery for e-commerce giants like Amazon and Flipkart. It could also aid police, ambulance, and fire services in improving their emergency response times, as DIGIPIN claims to offer a level of geographical accuracy that has been lacking in India so far.

Key Takeaways:

1. DIGIPIN is a unique ten-character alphanumeric code that can be generated for any property that is approximately 4 by 4 square meters on Indian land. This means that unique DIGIPINs can be generated for nearly all types of properties including in urban locations and rural areas across different maritime zones.

2. The Department of Posts has developed the underlying technology of DIGIPIN in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad and the National Remote Sensing Centre, which works under the aegis of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

3. The government has emphasised that DIGIPIN is an open-source, interoperable, and privacy-focused system. Each DIGIPIN is a encoded with the geographic coordinates of that property so it does not store any personal information.

4. The DIGIPIN will not replace the traditional six-digit PIN system. Instead, it is intended to act as an extra layer of precision built on top of existing postal addresses.

5. Along with a digital platform “Know your DIGIPIN”, the Department of Posts also launched “Know Your PINCODE”, in alignment with the National Geospatial Policy 2022. It is a significant step towards the modernisation of India’s addressing system and geospatial governance. ‘Know Your PIN Code’ web application uses GNSS location features to allow users to identify the correct PIN Code based on the location and submit feedback to improve PIN code accuracy.

History of PIN Code

1. The Postal Index Number (PIN) was introduced on August 15, 1972. The PIN code was meant to ease the process of mail sorting and delivery in a country where different places, often, have the same or similar names, and letters are written in a wide variety of languages.

2. The PIN is made up of six digits. The first number indicates the postal region — Northern, Eastern, Western, Southern; and number 9, which signifies the Army Postal Service. The second number denotes a sub-region, and the third represents the sorting district. The remaining numbers narrow the geography further to the specific post office making the delivery.

3. The person behind the initiative was Shriram Bhikaji Velankar, additional secretary in the Union Ministry of Communications and a senior member of the Posts and Telegraphs Board.

NAKSHA

📍In the Union Budget 2025, the government launched the National Geospatial Mission to develop foundational geospatial infrastructure and data. “Using PM Gati Shakti, this Mission will facilitate modernisation of land records, urban planning, and design of infrastructure projects,” said Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman.

📍Under the scheme, Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched the Central government’s new initiative—‘NAtional geospatial Knowledge-based land Survey of urban HAbitations’ (NAKSHA) in February this year.

📍NAKSHA is a city survey initiative under the existing Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme (DILRMP). It is spearheaded by the Department of Land Resources (DoLR), under the Ministry of Rural Development. The initiative is 100 per cent centrally funded.

📍According to the DoLR, “The NAKSHA program aims to create a comprehensive and accurate geospatial database for urban land records. By integrating aerial and field surveys with advanced GIS technology, the program enhances efficiency in land governance, streamlines property ownership records, and facilitates urban planning. Accurate geospatial data ensures improved decision-making, efficient land use planning and smoothen and certain property transactions.”