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How DIGIPIN Could Give India More Precise Digital Addresses
Many places in India are hard to find because streets may not have names and buildings may not have clear numbers.
A regular PIN code usually covers a large area, so it cannot show one exact house.
DIGIPIN is a new 10-character code that points to a very small location.
It is created from the location’s position on a map.
The code can help delivery workers, emergency services and government agencies find places more accurately.
It does not reveal a person’s name or other personal information.
The code stays the same even if a road is renamed or a new building appears.
Companies and public agencies are beginning to test it, but wider use will require public education and clear rules.
DIGIPIN is a 10-character digital code designed to identify locations in India with roughly 3.8-metre precision.
The system was created by the Department of Posts with the Indian Space Research Organisation and Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad.
It is intended to improve emergency response, public services, welfare access, mapping, urban planning and last-mile delivery.
DIGIPIN does not store personal information and remains unchanged when roads are renamed or buildings change.
Rapido has integrated DIGIPIN, while several companies are reportedly testing it; experts say adoption will require stronger governance and public awareness.
- Who
- The Department of Posts, the Indian Space Research Organisation, and a team from the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad created DIGIPIN, with experts discussing its uses and challenges.
- What
- DIGIPIN is a 10-character digital addressing system that identifies locations more precisely than traditional six-digit PIN codes.
- Where
- It covers locations across India and its maritime Exclusive Economic Zone.
- When
- DIGIPIN was launched in 2025; the article also cites address-related e-commerce data from 2025-26.
- Why
- It is intended to address unclear or incomplete addresses and improve deliveries, emergency response, public services, mapping and coordination between digital systems.
Benefits and Promise
Implementation Concerns
National location standard
Benefits and Promise
Supporters say DIGIPIN can give governments, businesses and emergency services a common, precise way to reference locations and connect different systems.
Implementation Concerns
Experts caution that broad benefits depend on adoption across organisations and on the ability to handle complex urban environments.
Service and delivery improvements
Benefits and Promise
More precise locations could help reduce delivery problems, improve emergency response and support healthcare, utilities, transportation and welfare services.
Implementation Concerns
The system is still in its early stages, and experts say government intervention, accountability, public awareness and linguistic inclusivity are needed for effective use.
Privacy and data use
Benefits and Promise
DIGIPIN is described as location-only, does not store or reveal personal information, and can work offline as an open-source system.
Implementation Concerns
The article does not identify specific privacy risks, but its call for stronger governance indicates that rules and accountability remain important as adoption expands.
Key facts
- Code format
- 10-character alphanumeric code
- Location precision
- Approximately 3.8 metres by 3.8 metres
- Coverage
- India and its maritime Exclusive Economic Zone
- Traditional PIN limitation
- A six-digit PIN generally identifies a broad post-office service area rather than an individual location
- Address gap
- An estimated 20-30% of India’s population lacks a proper, recognised address
- E-commerce returns
- Incomplete or inaccurate addresses accounted for around 45% of return-to-origin failures in 2025-26
- Current adoption
- Rapido has integrated DIGIPIN, while Flipkart, Amazon, Meesho, Delhivery and Swiggy are reportedly running pilots
Quotes
Shashank Vatedka
Assistant professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at IIT Hyderabad and a member of the DIGIPIN development team
“DIGIPIN is significant because it brings standardisation and multiple institutions into a geospatial, location-led addressing system at a national scale. It creates a common spatial infrastructure that can be used across government, businesses, emergency services and many other sectors at a finer scale to understand what is happening in a particular location, for example, in relation to a disaster, traffic congestion, crop yield, air pollution, and so on.”
freepressjournal.in
“The regular 6-digit PIN represents a broad geographical region that a particular post office serves, and cannot be used to narrow down to a particular house or location. The PIN can only identify a locality — taluka in some cases — and you need the full descriptive address. DIGIPIN is a geospatial reference that can be used to encode all of this information.”
freepressjournal.in
Sources
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