Privacy Statement
DEFINITIONS
- Samarth / we / us/ our : Project Samarth implemented by IIC, UDSC and funded by the Ministry of Education
- Samarth eGov Suite / Samarth ERP : Samarth eGov system accessible online through a URL obtained on samarth.ac.in and samarth.edu.in fully qualified domains.
- Institution / they / them / their : Higher Education Institution using Samarth eGov Suite
- User / End-User / you / your : Institution’s users (employees, students, or any user account created by the institution on Samarth eGov Suite)
- “Personal Information” in this privacy statement refers to any information from which a user’s identity is apparent or can be reasonably ascertained.
Samarth is committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal information (‘personal data’).
This privacy statement describes how we collect and use your personal data in Samarth eGov Suite.
This policy applies to users of Samarth eGov Suite including prospective and bona fide students, employees, alumni, prospective students. In addition, the Institution and each of its department/Center/Institute/college will have its own Non Disclosure Agreements or privacy notice. It is important that you read this policy, together with any other privacy statement we may provide on specific occasions when we are collecting or processing information about you, so that you are aware of how and why we are using the information. We may update this policy at any time.
WHO IS USING THE PERSONAL DATA COLLECTED ON SAMARTH
Institution is the “controller" for the information that we obtain from users or others as a result of their interaction with systems and interfaces of Samarth eGov Suite.
Access to the data is provided to the Institution’s staff, including those based in the Institution’s colleges who need to view it as part of their work. We may also share it with the statutory bodies of the Institution/State Government Education Bodies/Ministry of Education/Govt. of India.
THE TYPES OF DATA WE HOLD ABOUT USERS
The information we hold about users may include the following:
- Personal details such as name, title, address, telephone number, email address, date of birth, sex and gender identity, ID photograph (included within received documents), educational details, information about household income, and details of patents/ guardian.
- Education including the school(s), college(s) and other colleges or Universities you have attended and places where you have worked, the courses you have completed, dates of study and examination results.
- Other personal background information collected during the admissions process, e.g. whether you have been in care, your socio-economic classification and details of your parents’ occupation and education.
- Information about your use of our IT systems.
- Visa, passport and immigration information.
- Funding and financial support information.
- Information about your use of our information and communications systems, including your communication preferences and website interaction.
- Information about your socio-economic background.
- Information about your interaction and transactions with various institutional bodies and departments.
We may also process the following "special categories" of more sensitive personal data:
- Information about your race or ethnicity, sexual identity and religious beliefs.
- Information about your health, including any disability and/or medical condition.
- Information about criminal convictions and offences (if applicable).
HOW WE OBTAIN USER DATA
Most of the information we hold comes from your application, for example, via online application system/portals. We may also collect additional information directly from you and from third parties, including referees, former schools, colleges and Universities, and Government departments and agencies.
HOW SAMARTH USES USER DATA
We process your data for purposes related to your application or interaction with Samarth eGov Suite, such as admission, recruitment, payroll, leave and other administrative, management, academic or relevant purposes as required by the Institution.
DATA SHARING WITH THIRD PARTIES
In order to perform our contractual and other legal responsibilities or purposes; we may, where relevant and necessary, need to share user and institutional information with the following types of organisation:
- The college you have applied to or have been allocated to.
- Your school, college and/or training organisation.
- Your referees.
- External organisations offering Institution-sponsored services including student surveys.
- The Governmental departments or agencies responsible for funding and student fellowships.
- If you have or are seeking a particular collaboration with a third party, for example, because of an exchange scheme.
- Sponsors or benefactors of funding and financial support.
- Examination boards and awarding bodies.
- Testing services, including National Testing Agency (NTA) etc.
- Third parties including your former employer(s) or educational establishment(s) to obtain a reference or to verify the accuracy of a reference or other information you have submitted with or in support of your application.
Where information is shared with third parties, we will seek to share the minimum amount necessary.
All third-party service providers that process data on our behalf are required to take appropriate security measures to protect user data in line with our policies. We do not allow them to use your data for their own purposes. We permit them to process your data only for specified purposes and in accordance with our instructions.
RETENTION PERIOD
We will retain your data only for as long as we need it to meet academic and institutional purposes, including any relating to legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Details of the retention periods for different requirements may vary as per the rules and guidelines of the Institution.
KEEPING DATA UP-TO-DATE
It is important that the data we hold about you is accurate and current. You can access, amend and delete your data yourself until the point at which you submit data to the Institution. Please keep us informed of any changes after you submit the data.
CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY STATEMENT
We reserve the right to update this privacy statement at any time, and will seek to inform you of substantial updates. We may also notify you in other ways from time to time about the processing of your personal data.