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Picture Courtesy:  Economics Times

Context:

India launches DIGIPIN and PIN Code portals to transform digital addressing and geospatial governance.

News in Detail

The Department of Posts, under the Ministry of Communications, launches two digital platforms: ‘Know Your DIGIPIN’ and ‘Know Your PIN Code’, to transform the addressing system, and make it more precise and digitally accessible.

They align with the National Geospatial Policy 2022, which aims to build a robust geospatial infrastructure to enhance digital governance and public service delivery.  

DIGIPIN

The Digital Postal Index Number (DIGIPIN) is an open-source, geo-coded addressing system. Unlike traditional addresses that depend on street names or landmarks, DIGIPIN uses a 10-character alphanumeric code to pinpoint a specific 4x4 meter location anywhere in India, including rural areas, forests, or even oceans.

The Department of Posts collaborates with IIT Hyderabad and the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) of ISRO to develop this system.

The ‘Know Your DIGIPIN’ portal lets users:

• Find their DIGIPIN by entering their exact location (using GPS or GNSS technology).
• Input latitude and longitude coordinates to get a DIGIPIN or vice versa.

The system simplifies finding locations, improves logistics (like e-commerce deliveries), speeds up emergency responses (like ambulances or disaster relief), and ensures services reach even the remotest corners of India. For example, a delivery person in a rural village can use DIGIPIN to locate a house precisely, even if it lacks a formal address.

Know Your PIN Code

Six-digit PIN Code system was introduced in 1972, organizes postal delivery by assigning codes to geographic areas, however, these codes often lack precision, as one PIN Code can cover multiple villages or neighborhoods. To fix this, the Department of Posts conducts a nationwide geofencing exercise, mapping precise boundaries for all PIN Codes using GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) technology.

The ‘Know Your PIN Code’ portal allows users to:

• Identify the exact PIN Code for their location using GPS.
• Provide feedback to improve PIN Code accuracy.

The Department uploads this geo-referenced PIN Code dataset to the Open Government Data Platform as “All India PIN Code Boundary geo-json,” making it accessible for public and private use, to ensure postal services become more accurate and efficient.

Source: 

PIB