Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

SchemeSuchak ("we", "our", "us") is a free citizen-facing platform that helps Indian individuals and families discover government schemes they are eligible for. We operate at schemesuchak.com and deliver scheme notifications via WhatsApp.

2. What we collect

We collect only the minimum data necessary to provide scheme matching. Specifically:

• WhatsApp phone number — stored as a one-way cryptographic hash. We cannot reverse this to your actual number.
• Email address (optional) — stored as a one-way hash, used only for account recovery.
• Profile eligibility data — age bracket, gender, state, district, caste category, annual income range, occupation type, disability status, and farmer status. These are stored as categories and ranges, never as raw or exact values.
• Profile nickname — a label you choose yourself (e.g. "Amma"). Not a real name.

We do not collect names, Aadhaar numbers, PAN numbers, voter ID, passport details, biometric data, or any government-issued identity information.

3. How we use your data

• To match your family profiles against eligible central and state government schemes.
• To send you WhatsApp notifications when new schemes match your profiles.
• To send OTP verification messages during registration and login.
• To send account recovery instructions to your registered email (if provided).

We do not use your data for advertising, profiling, or any commercial purpose beyond scheme matching.

4. WhatsApp communications

By registering with your WhatsApp number, you consent to receive the following types of messages from SchemeSuchak:

• One-time passwords (OTPs) for login and registration
• Scheme match notifications when new eligible schemes are found
• Deadline reminders for matched schemes
• Account-related utility messages

You may opt out of notifications at any time from your account settings. We will never send unsolicited promotional messages.

5. Data sharing

We do not sell, rent, or trade your data to any third party. We share data only in the following limited circumstances:

• WhatsApp Business API provider — to deliver messages to your WhatsApp number.
• Cloud infrastructure providers — for hosting and database services, all bound by data processing agreements.
• Legal obligation — if required by Indian law or a valid court order.

6. Data retention

We retain your account and profile data for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, all associated profile data is permanently deleted within 30 days. Hashed phone and email identifiers are deleted immediately upon account deletion.

7. Your rights under DPDP Act 2023

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

• Access the data we hold about you
• Correct inaccurate data
• Request erasure of your data
• Withdraw consent at any time
• Nominate a representative for data-related requests

To exercise any of these rights, write to us at hello@schemesuchak.com. We will respond within 72 hours.

8. Security

We use industry-standard security measures including TLS encryption in transit, hashed storage of identifiers, and access controls on all data stores. No system is perfectly secure, but we take every reasonable precaution to protect your information.

9. Children's privacy

SchemeSuchak accounts are intended for users aged 18 and above. However, family profiles (which may represent minors) contain only anonymised eligibility categories and no identifying information. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the "last updated" date at the top of this page and notify registered users via WhatsApp. Continued use of SchemeSuchak after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact us

For any privacy-related questions, concerns, or data requests, please contact us at:

hello@schemesuchak.com
schemesuchak.com