Swadeshi Vitta Salahkaar Parishad

1. Introduction

This Privacy Policy explains how Swadeshi Vitta Salahkaar Parishad, a unit of Swarnim Bharatvarsh Foundation, collects, uses, stores, protects, shares, and processes personal information of users, applicants, members, contributors, representatives of firms, visitors, and other persons who access or use our website, digital platform, member dashboard, directory, opportunity exchange, events, communications, contribution/donation flow, and related features.

Swadeshi Vitta Salahkaar Parishad, also referred to as "SVSP", "the Parishad", "we", "us", or "our", functions as a unit of Swarnim Bharatvarsh Foundation and is governed by the charter, rules, regulations, directions, and governing documents of the Foundation.

By accessing the website, creating an account, submitting information, making a donation/contribution, uploading documents, posting opportunities, or using the platform, you agree to the collection and use of your information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

2. Relationship with the Founding Charter

The Founding Charter of Swadeshi Vitta Salahkaar Parishad is the main governing document for the identity, objectives, participation, membership, contribution, authority, rights, conduct, and structure of the Parishad.

This Privacy Policy should be read together with the Founding Charter, Terms and Conditions, Refund and Cancellation Policy, Shipping and Delivery Policy, and any other rules or policies issued by Swadeshi Vitta Salahkaar Parishad or Swarnim Bharatvarsh Foundation from time to time.

In case of any inconsistency between this Privacy Policy and the Founding Charter regarding the nature of the Parishad, participation, contribution, authority, or rights of members/contributors, the Founding Charter and the governing documents of Swarnim Bharatvarsh Foundation shall prevail.

3. Compliance with Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023

We process digital personal data in accordance with applicable Indian laws, including the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, as and when applicable.

For the purpose of personal data processing:

• The individual whose personal data is collected is referred to as the "Data Principal".
• Swadeshi Vitta Salahkaar Parishad / Swarnim Bharatvarsh Foundation may act as the "Data Fiduciary" for personal data collected through the website, dashboard, forms, donation/contribution flow, member directory, opportunity exchange, communication channels, and related platform features.
• Third-party service providers such as hosting providers, payment gateways, email/SMS/communication vendors, cloud storage providers, and IT vendors may act as data processors or service providers.

We collect and process personal data for clear, lawful, and necessary purposes, including account creation, profile verification, member/contributor management, donation/contribution receipt issuance, platform access, opportunity exchange, communication, grievance redressal, legal compliance, audit, accounting, tax records, security, fraud prevention, and administration of the Parishad/Foundation.

Where consent is required, personal data will be processed based on your consent. You may withdraw consent where applicable, subject to legal, accounting, audit, tax, security, governance, and legitimate retention requirements.

4. Information We Collect

We may collect the following information from you:

4.1 Account and Authentication Information

• Full name
• First name and last name
• Email address
• Password
• Mobile number
• Login credentials
• Authentication details
• Session information
• Security logs
• Device and browser information

Passwords are intended to be stored in encrypted or hashed form and are not meant to be visible to platform administrators.

4.2 Profile, Membership, and Participation Information

After sign-up, users may be required to complete a profile, membership, participation, or contributor form. We may collect:

• Name
• Email address
• Mobile number
• City/state/location
• Organization/company/firm name
• Profession
• Industry
• Industry specialization
• Designation
• Expertise areas
• Years of experience
• Bio or professional summary
• Social media or professional profile links
• Contact links
• Chapter affiliation
• Member/contributor category
• Citizenship confirmation
• NRI status, where applicable
• Country of residence, where applicable
• Any other details submitted through the form

All users may currently sign up as individual users. Where a firm, company, organization, or corporate participant is involved, an authorized representative, partner, employee, office-bearer, or other person may sign up and manage the account on behalf of such firm or organization. Such person is responsible for ensuring that they have appropriate authority to submit information on behalf of the firm or organization.

4.3 PAN and Donation Receipt Information

Since Swadeshi Vitta Salahkaar Parishad / Swarnim Bharatvarsh Foundation may issue donation/contribution receipts, PAN may be collected where required for receipt issuance, accounting, audit, tax, legal, or statutory compliance.

• PAN shall be mandatory for donations/contributions above ₹2,000.
• For donations/contributions of ₹2,000 or below, PAN may not be mandatory unless required by applicable law, internal compliance, payment verification, accounting, audit, or receipt issuance requirements.

PAN will be used only for legitimate purposes such as donation/contribution receipt issuance, accounting, audit, tax compliance, legal compliance, and internal records.

We do not require Aadhaar as part of the standard platform registration, participation, or contribution process. Users should not upload Aadhaar unless specifically requested by an authorized representative for a lawful and necessary purpose.

4.4 Optional Documents and Uploads

You may voluntarily upload documents or files such as:

• Profile photograph
• Company documents
• Firm or organization details
• Professional proof
• Visiting card
• Certificates
• Work or experience-related documents
• Other supporting documents that you choose to provide

Uploading documents is optional unless specifically requested for verification or administrative purposes.

4.5 Donation, Contribution, and Payment Information

Where a user makes a donation/contribution through the website or payment gateway, we may collect and process:

• Donation/contribution amount
• Selected contribution/membership validity option
• Payment status
• Transaction ID
• Payment gateway reference number
• Payment date and time
• Receipt details
• Payment confirmation
• Renewal or validity information
• Related accounting or compliance records

Payments may be processed through HDFC Payment Gateway or other authorized payment service providers enabled from time to time. We do not store complete card numbers, CVV, UPI PINs, net banking passwords, or sensitive payment credentials on our own servers.

Donation/contribution receipts may be shared by the organization after confirmation of payment, subject to applicable records and internal process.

4.6 Member Directory and Visibility Information

Once approved, activated, or listed, your member/contributor profile may include:

• Name
• Designation
• Company/firm/organization
• Profession
• Expertise tags
• Bio or summary
• City/state
• Chapter affiliation
• Social/contact links
• Verification status
• Core member/founding member/professional member/student member/corporate representative status, where applicable
• Other profile details submitted by you

Member profiles and directory information are intended to be visible only to logged-in members/users of the platform, subject to platform settings, approval status, and visibility controls.

4.7 Opportunity Posts and User-Generated Content

Members/users may create content on the platform, including:

• Opportunity posts
• Collaboration requests
• Referral opportunities
• Expertise requirements
• City-specific support requests
• Event or participation-related posts
• Post title, description, category, location, posted by details, posted date
• Related comments, reports, or moderation records, if such features are enabled later

Opportunity posts are intended to be visible only inside the logged-in member dashboard and not on the public website, unless separately enabled by the Parishad/Foundation.

4.8 Communication Information

When you contact us, submit an inquiry, participate in events, or communicate with the Parishad/Foundation, we may collect:

• Name
• Email address
• Mobile number
• Message content
• Inquiry details
• Support details
• Event-related details
• Communication history

4.9 Technical and Usage Information

We may automatically collect:

• IP address
• Browser type
• Device type
• Operating system
• Pages visited
• Date and time of access
• Login activity
• Referring URL
• Cookies and similar technologies
• Error logs
• Security logs
• Usage patterns

5. How We Use Your Information

We may use your information to:

• Create and manage accounts
• Authenticate users
• Enable secure login sessions
• Process profile, membership, participation, or contributor forms
• Review, approve, reject, suspend, or reactivate users/members/contributors
• Maintain member/contributor records
• Process donation/contribution payments
• Issue or facilitate donation/contribution receipts
• Track payment and contribution records
• Collect PAN where required for donation receipts above ₹2,000
• Display approved profiles inside the logged-in member directory
• Enable opportunity posting and viewing inside the dashboard
• Facilitate networking among logged-in members
• Manage chapters, committees, state/district coordination, events, and participation activities
• Moderate posts, profiles, documents, and platform activity
• Prevent fraud, misuse, spam, unauthorized access, and unlawful activity
• Communicate updates, notices, confirmations, receipts, and platform-related information
• Respond to support requests and inquiries
• Maintain audit logs and compliance records
• Improve the website, dashboard, and platform features
• Comply with legal, regulatory, tax, audit, accounting, security, or governance requirements
• Support the objectives, activities, and lawful functioning of the Parishad/Foundation

6. Children and Minor Users

The website and platform are intended only for users who are 18 years of age or above. Users below 18 years of age are not permitted to create an account, submit personal data, make donations/contributions, upload documents, access the member dashboard, post opportunities, or use the platform.

By creating an account, submitting information, making a donation/contribution, or using the platform, the user confirms that they are 18 years of age or above.

If we become aware that personal data of a person below 18 years of age has been collected, we may delete, restrict, or deactivate such account/data, subject to legal, audit, payment, security, or compliance retention requirements.

7. Indian Citizens and NRI Users Only

The platform and donation/contribution facility are currently available only to Indian citizens, including Indian citizens residing in India and Indian citizens residing outside India as NRIs.

By creating an account, submitting information, or making a donation/contribution, the user confirms that they are an Indian citizen.

NRI users may be required to provide additional confirmation, declaration, or documents to verify citizenship, source of funds, country of residence, payment details, or compliance requirements.

The organization reserves the right to hold, reject, reverse, or refund any contribution where citizenship, source of funds, banking compliance, legal compliance, or internal verification is not satisfied.

8. Foreign Contributions and FCRA Compliance

Swarnim Bharatvarsh Foundation / Swadeshi Vitta Salahkaar Parishad is not presently registered under FCRA for accepting foreign contributions.

Therefore, donations/contributions from foreign citizens, foreign entities, foreign companies, foreign trusts, foreign associations, foreign foundations, or any other foreign source are not permitted and shall not be accepted.

Foreign payments must be blocked at the payment/platform level wherever technically possible.

If any foreign-source payment is received due to payment gateway, banking, technical, or user-side error, the organization reserves the right to hold, reject, reverse, or refund such amount after verification and compliance review.

No foreign-source contribution shall be treated as accepted merely because a payment attempt was made or temporarily processed.

9. Nature of Platform and Participation

The platform is intended to support the activities, objectives, networking, communication, and digital administration of Swadeshi Vitta Salahkaar Parishad.

Participation in the Parishad is voluntary and is aligned with the objectives of nation-building, professional networking, Swadeshi thought, financial literacy, policy engagement, entrepreneurship, professional development, research, and service to society and the economy.

The platform may provide access to digital features such as a member dashboard, directory, opportunity exchange, events, networking tools, and administrative workflows. However, such access does not create any ownership right, voting right, management right, proprietary right, office right, authority, guaranteed benefit, business opportunity, referral, consultation, or entitlement.

10. Sharing of Information

We do not sell your personal information.

We may share your information with:

• Swarnim Bharatvarsh Foundation
• Authorized office-bearers, administrators, coordinators, moderators, and representatives of the Parishad/Foundation
• Payment gateway providers
• Hosting, database, and cloud service providers
• Email, SMS, WhatsApp, or communication service providers
• IT vendors and platform maintenance teams
• Professional advisors, auditors, legal consultants, and compliance service providers
• Government authorities, courts, regulators, law enforcement agencies, or other parties where required by law
• Other logged-in members, where your profile/contact details/opportunity posts are visible as part of platform functionality

Member directory details, profile details, and opportunity posts may be visible to other logged-in members/users, subject to platform settings and moderation.

11. Member-Only Content and Confidentiality

Certain information, documents, internal communications, member details, opportunity posts, event information, committee updates, and platform content may be intended only for members, contributors, office-bearers, coordinators, or authorized users.

You must not misuse, publicly disclose, copy, scrape, publish, circulate, commercially exploit, or share member-only or confidential information without permission.

This includes member contact details, internal documents, opportunity posts, platform data, private communications, and any content marked confidential or intended for limited circulation.

12. Data Storage and Security

We take reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect personal information from unauthorized access, misuse, loss, alteration, or disclosure.

These measures may include:

• Secure authentication
• Password hashing/encryption
• Access controls
• Server security
• Administrative restrictions
• Logs and monitoring
• Backup and recovery processes
• Limited access to authorized personnel

However, no digital system can guarantee absolute security. Users are responsible for keeping their login credentials confidential and for all activity carried out through their account.

13. Payment Gateway and Third-Party Processing

Payments are processed through HDFC Payment Gateway or other authorized payment service providers.

When you make a payment, the payment gateway may collect and process your payment information according to its own terms and privacy policy. We receive transaction confirmation, payment status, payment reference, and related records required for platform access, contribution records, receipts, audit, and compliance.

14. Data Retention

We retain information for as long as necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, including membership/contributor administration, platform access, receipts, records, audits, legal compliance, security, dispute resolution, and governance requirements.

If you request account deactivation or deletion of profile visibility, we may deactivate your account and remove or restrict member-facing visibility. However, we may retain:

• Donation/contribution records
• Payment records
• PAN and receipt records, where required
• Receipts
• Audit logs
• Legal records
• Compliance records
• Moderation records
• Support communications
• Security logs
• Other records required by law, governance, accounting, or legitimate organizational purposes

15. Account Deactivation and Profile Visibility

You may request deactivation of your account or removal/restriction of your profile visibility by contacting us.

Upon receiving a valid request, we may:

• Deactivate login access
• Remove or restrict member-facing profile visibility
• Remove or restrict opportunity posts, where appropriate
• Retain legal, contribution, payment, receipt, audit, governance, and compliance records as required

Account deactivation, deletion, or removal of visibility does not create any right to refund of donation/contribution.

16. Cookies

We may use cookies and similar technologies to:

• Maintain login sessions
• Improve website performance
• Secure the platform
• Remember preferences
• Understand usage patterns
• Analyze technical issues

You may disable cookies through your browser settings, but some platform features may not function properly.

17. Third-Party Links

The website or dashboard may contain links to third-party websites, member websites, payment pages, social media profiles, professional pages, event platforms, or other external resources.

We are not responsible for third-party content, security, policies, services, or data practices. Users should review third-party terms and privacy policies before using such services.

18. Your Rights and Requests

Subject to applicable law, you may request:

• Access to your personal information
• Correction or update of inaccurate information
• Update of profile details
• Deactivation of account
• Removal or restriction of profile visibility
• Withdrawal of consent where applicable
• Grievance redressal regarding your personal information

Requests may be sent to the Grievance Officer using the contact details below.

19. Grievance Officer and Contact Details

In accordance with applicable Indian laws, including the Information Technology Act, 2000, the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, users may contact the designated Grievance Officer for complaints, privacy-related concerns, data correction/deletion requests, content-related complaints, platform misuse, payment/contribution issues, or any other grievance.

Users may submit grievances by email with relevant details, supporting documents, screenshots, transaction information, profile details, or any other information required to examine the complaint.

The organization will make reasonable efforts to acknowledge and resolve grievances within the timelines prescribed under applicable law.

20. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Updated versions will be posted on the website with a revised effective date.

Continued use of the platform after updates means that you accept the updated Privacy Policy.