Privacy Policy - Banjara Virasat Sangh

In short

The app collects the personal details you enter to register as a member, add family members, apply for scholarships, submit requests and answer the Tanda survey. This data is sent from your device to our secure server.
Registration is voluntary, free, and happens only with your consent after your mobile number is verified by a one-time code (OTP).
We do not sell or share your personal data with any third party. We show no advertising and use no advertising or tracking tools.
Tanda survey answers are used only in combined, non-identifying form to frame welfare policy for Banjara tandas.
You can correct your details in My Corner and ask us to delete your account at any time.

Who we are

Banjara Virasat Sangh ("BVS", "we", "us") is a non-political, voluntary social organisation working for the social, educational, cultural and economic development of the Banjara community. It is registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.

Registered name: Banjara Virasat Sangh
Registration No.: Greater Mu/0000919/2026
Registered on: 27 May 2026
Registering authority: Assistant Registrar of Societies, Greater Mumbai Region
Certificate: View registration certificate (PDF)

BVS is the data controller (the "Data Fiduciary" under India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023) for the personal data described here. This policy applies to the Banjara Virasat Sangh Android app and the website https://banjaravirasat.org.in, together the "Service". The app and website share the same member accounts, so this one policy covers both.

Information we collect

All of the information below is typed, selected or uploaded by you (or by a parent or guardian for a minor). It is transmitted from your device to our server over an encrypted (HTTPS) connection. We do not collect anything from your device in the background.

Data	What it includes	Required?	Why
Name	Full name	Required	Member account, ID card
Phone number	Mobile number (verified by OTP), WhatsApp number	Mobile required	Sign-in, OTP, service SMS
Address	State, district, taluka, village/tanda and postal address that you type or select	Required	Member records by area
Other personal details	Gender, date of birth, marital status, number of family members, education, occupation, cultural, literary or folk-art background, land holding, NGO association	Mostly optional	Member profile, community statistics
Public positions held	Public or elected posts you hold or have held, if any	Optional	Member profile, community statistics
Health information	Blood group; whether you are a person with a disability (divyang)	Optional	Blood-donation help, disability welfare schemes
Photos	Your passport-style photo and photos of family members you add	Required for ID card	Member profile and ID card
Family members	Name, relation, date of birth, gender and photo of family members you add	Optional	Family records in My Corner
Education and scholarship	Exam passed, stream, year, marks, marksheet; parent or guardian name, mobile and occupation	Only if you apply	Scholarship processing
Files and documents	Marksheets, and photos or PDFs you attach to a request	Only if you upload	Scholarships and requests
Requests and complaints	Category and description you write, and our replies	Only if you submit	Handling your request
Tanda survey	Facilities and problems in your village or tanda (see the next section)	Optional	Welfare policy planning

What we do not collect

No precise or approximate device location (GPS). Your area comes only from the address you choose.
No contacts, call logs, SMS messages, calendar, browsing history or list of installed apps.
No Aadhaar number, PAN, bank account, card or payment details. There are no payments in the app.
No advertising ID, and no advertising, analytics or tracking SDKs.

Our server records technical information that every web request contains (such as IP address and browser type) in security logs. This is used only to keep the Service safe and is not linked to any profile.

Tanda survey information

During registration, or later from My Corner, you may answer a short survey about your village or tanda. It asks about:

whether the tanda has its own Gram Panchayat and revenue status, and whether its population is below 700;
educational facilities, primary health centre, road and ST bus connectivity, electricity, cremation ground, community hall, co-operative society and farm roads;
water scarcity, need for dams, nala deepening or silt removal; and
any other problems in the tanda that you describe.

These answers describe the place, not you. We use them only in combined, statistical form (for example, "how many tandas in a district lack a health centre") to frame welfare policy and to present the community's needs to government. Reports and representations prepared from the survey contain no names, mobile numbers or other personal details. Internally, each answer is linked to the member who gave it only so that we can verify it and avoid duplicate entries.

App permissions

The app asks for a permission only when you use a feature that needs it. You can deny or withdraw any permission in your phone settings.

Camera: to take your photo or a family member's photo, or photograph a document you choose to upload.
Photos and files: to choose a photo or document you want to upload, and to save your ID card.
Internet: to connect to our server.
Notifications (if you allow them): to tell you about updates to your requests and important announcements.

How we use information

We use your information only to:

create and manage your membership, verify your mobile number and issue your digital member ID card;
let you manage your profile and family in My Corner;
process scholarship applications and run education and welfare programmes;
receive, follow up and respond to your requests and complaints;
send service SMS such as OTPs, registration confirmation and request updates;
prepare combined, non-identifying statistics about the community and its tandas to plan welfare work; and
keep the Service secure and meet legal obligations.

We do not use your data for advertising or marketing, we do not build advertising profiles, and we do not make automated decisions about you.

How we protect it

All data sent between the app and our server is encrypted in transit using HTTPS.
OTP verification is required to register, sign in and change your mobile number. OTPs are stored only in hashed form and expire within minutes.
Database access is restricted to authorised people, and admin credentials are kept outside the public website.
Uploads are checked for file type and size, and the site is protected against common web attacks.

No system is perfectly secure. If a data breach affects you, we will inform you and the Data Protection Board of India as the law requires.

How long we keep it

Member and family data: while your membership is active, or until you ask us to delete it.
OTPs: a few minutes.
Requests and their documents: while the matter is open and for a reasonable period afterwards for follow-up.
Scholarship records: as long as needed for accounts and audit.
Tanda survey answers: kept as statistics. When your account is deleted, your link to the answer is removed.
Security logs: a limited period.

Your rights

Under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, you have the right to:

see and correct your information (most of it directly in My Corner);
withdraw your consent at any time, as easily as you gave it;
have your data erased (see the next section);
nominate a person to exercise these rights if you die or become unable to; and
complain to our Grievance Officer and then to the Data Protection Board of India.

To use these rights, email info@banjaravirasat.org or call +91 77 9004 9004 from your registered mobile number.

Delete your account and data

You can ask us to delete your Banjara Virasat Sangh account and its data at any time, whether you registered through the app, the website or a volunteer.

How to request deletion

Email info@banjaravirasat.org with the subject "Account deletion request", or call +91 77 9004 9004.
Give your full name, registered mobile number and, if you have it, your BVS member ID. Say whether you want the whole account deleted or only some data (for example a family member or an uploaded document).
We will send an OTP to your registered mobile number to confirm that the request is yours.
We will delete the data within 30 days of confirmation and let you know.

What is deleted

Your profile, photo, contact details, address, family members you added, uploaded documents, requests, and the link between you and any survey answers.

What may be kept

Only records the law or an audit requires, such as proof that a scholarship was paid, for the required period; and survey statistics that no longer identify you. Backups are overwritten on their normal cycle.

Children and minors

The Service is meant for adults. Children under 18 cannot register themselves. A child's details are entered only by a parent or guardian, either as a family member or for a scholarship application, and the parent's mobile number is verified by OTP. We use a child's data only for that purpose, do not track children, and show no advertising. If you believe a child's data was given without a parent's consent, contact us and we will delete it.

Changes to this policy

We will update this policy if the way we handle data changes, and keep it consistent with the app's Google Play data safety information. The date at the top shows the latest version. We will notify members through the app, website or SMS before any significant change takes effect.

Contact and grievances

For any question about this policy or your data, contact our Grievance Officer. We aim to reply within 7 working days.

Grievance Officer: Banjara Virasat Sangh
Email: info@banjaravirasat.org
Phone: +91 77 9004 9004
Address: Banjara Virasat Sangh, Maharashtra, India