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After making identification through Aadhaar cards and digital payments easy through UPI, the government is now preparing to take another big step. Now every address can get a unique digital ID. Just as the Aadhaar number became necessary for the identification of every citizen, in the same way, this digital address ID will help in making the identification of every house and place in the country easy and accurate.

According to media reports, the government is planning to bring a system in which every address will be given a unique digital ID so that government services and delivery like parcels can be done quickly and correctly.

Preparation to make address system a part of DPI
After Aadhaar and UPI, the government is now preparing to make the address system a part of Digital Public Infrastructure i.e. DPI. Currently, there is no fixed system or format regarding addresses in the country. Nor is it decided who is keeping someone's address data and what is its use. Many times companies share this information without the consent of the people. To stop this, the government is now creating a system where no one can use your address without your permission.

Why has this change become necessary now?

As fast as online shopping, food delivery, and courier service have grown, wrong or incomplete addresses have become an equally big problem. Be it a village or a city, in many places the address is written with a landmark or local name, which is neither standard nor clear. This causes delays in delivery and confusion. According to a study, due to this error in the address system, the country loses about 10 to 14 billion dollars i.e. about 0.5% of GDP every year.

What will change with the arrival of digital addresses?

The government is creating a new framework called 'Digital Address', in which it will be decided how the address should be written, how it should be shared, and under what conditions it should be used. If any digital platform needs your address through this system, it will have to take your permission.

The postal department is working on this entire plan and the PMO itself is monitoring it. A draft plan will be released in the next few days to seek suggestions from the public and its final version can come out by the end of the year. A new law can also be introduced to implement this system in the winter session of Parliament.

What is DIGIPIN?

The most important thing about this system is DIGIPIN i.e. Digital Postal Index Number. It will be an alphanumeric code with 10 characters which will tell the location of any place with absolute accuracy. The current PIN code system covers a large area, but DIGIPIN will be specifically for the place where you live or have a shop or building. It will be very useful in places where normal addresses do not work - like villages, slums, forests, or hilly areas. With DIGIPIN, every corner of the country will now be able to get a unique digital address.

The draft related to the standard of digital address will be released within a week and after this the final plan will be decided by the end of the year. If everything happens on time, then in the coming times, the digital address system can also become a part of our daily life like Aadhaar and UPI.

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