Allahabad Agricultural Research Institute (AARI)

Privacy Policy

Last Updated: August 19, 2025

This Privacy Policy describes how Allahabad Agricultural Research Institute—a registered trust headquartered in Prayagraj (Allahabad), Uttar Pradesh, India—collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects your information when you access our website or use our services (collectively, the “Services”). By using our website, you consent to the practices described in this Policy.

We are committed to safeguarding your privacy in line with applicable Indian laws, including the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act), and other relevant regulations. Please read this Policy carefully to understand how your data is handled.

1) Who We Are & Scope

AARI is a premier institution dedicated to agricultural research, education, and farmer welfare across domains such as horticulture, bee-keeping, food processing, post-harvest technology (PHT), sericulture, fisheries, and animal sciences. This Policy applies to information collected through our website and any online forms, events registrations, newsletters, membership or collaboration portals operated by AARI.

2) What Data We Collect

  • Identity & Contact: Name, Guardian/Parent details (where applicable), Mobile Number, Email Address.
  • Demographic & Address: Date of Birth, Residential/Communication Address.
  • Media: Passport-size Photograph (for ID cards/memberships/events where required).
  • Technical: IP Address, Browser User-Agent, device information, usage logs.
  • Optional/Contextual: Academic/Professional details (students, researchers, farmers), areas of interest, feedback, and any information you voluntarily provide in forms or communications.

3) Lawful Bases & How We Use Your Data

We process your data based on consent, legitimate interests in running our institution, and/or legal obligations. Typical uses include:

  • Record-keeping for memberships, volunteers, collaborations, and event participation.
  • Communications about agricultural research updates, training, workshops, and institutional announcements.
  • Service improvement and website administration, including troubleshooting and analytics.
  • Compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and reporting requirements.

4) Payments & Financial Data

  • We do not store sensitive financial information such as UPI IDs or full card details on AARI servers.
  • Payments (if any) are processed via third-party payment gateways that handle your payment data in accordance with their policies.

5) Cookies & Similar Technologies

  • We use cookies primarily to maintain secure login sessions for members/participants and to improve user experience.
  • You can configure your browser to block cookies; however, doing so may limit access to membership areas or certain features.
  • Third-party service providers may set their own cookies; their usage is governed by their respective privacy policies.

6) Sharing of Information

  • We may share data with government/regulatory or law-enforcement authorities where required by law.
  • We may engage service providers (e.g., hosting, email, analytics, payment) strictly for operating our Services, under appropriate safeguards.
  • We do not sell your personal data. Except for legal compliance or service provisioning as stated above, we do not share your data with third parties.

7) Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Policy or as required by law. After the retention period, we will securely delete or anonymize the data.

8) Data Security

  • We implement administrative, technical, and organizational measures to protect your data against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction.
  • Passwords (where applicable) are stored using strong encryption/hashing practices.
  • No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure; we strive to use commercially reasonable safeguards.

9) Your Rights

Subject to the DPDP Act and other applicable laws, you may have the right to:

  • Access the personal data we hold about you.
  • Correct/Update inaccurate or incomplete data.
  • Delete your data, or request withdrawal of consent (where processing is consent-based).
  • Data portability where technically feasible and applicable.

Note: If you request deletion or withdraw consent, certain Services (e.g., membership benefits or event access) may not be available. We may retain limited data as required for legal compliance.

10) Children’s Privacy

Our Services are generally intended for adults. Where programs involve students or minors, we collect data with appropriate consent and handle it in accordance with applicable laws and institutional guidelines.

11) International Transfers

Our primary servers are located in India. If data is transferred outside India via third-party tools or services, we will take reasonable safeguards consistent with applicable law.

12) Changes to This Policy

We may update this Policy from time to time. The “Last Updated” date indicates the latest revision. Continued use of the Services after changes signifies your acceptance of the updated Policy.