PRIVACY POLICY


1. Introduction

This Privacy Policy describes how Lakshmikendra “we”, “us”, “our”, or the “Trust”, having its registered office at Sree Mayapur, Nadia, West Bengal collects, uses, discloses, and protects personal data of users of the website www.lakshmikendra.org and its alias domains www.lakshmikendra.com (the “Platform”). This Policy is published in compliance with the Information Technology Act, 2000, the Information Technology (Reasonable Security Practices and Procedures and Sensitive Personal Data or Information) Rules, 2011, and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (“DPDP Act”), to the extent in force. By registering on or using the Platform, you consent to the collection and processing of your personal data in accordance with this Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Platform.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We collect the following categories of personal data:
• Registration data: name, email address, mobile number, postal address, username, and password (stored in hashed form);
• Transaction data: order details, donation amounts and purposes, billing and shipping address, transaction reference numbers, and payment status returned by the payment gateway;
• Tax receipt data: PAN and legal name, where furnished by a donor for the purpose of receipts under Section 80G of the Income-tax Act, 1961;
• Technical data: IP address, browser type, device information, log data, and cookie identifiers collected automatically when you use the Platform; and
• Communications: correspondence, grievances, and feedback you send to us.
Payment credentials: we do not collect or store card numbers, card expiry, CVV, UPI PINs, or net-banking credentials. These are captured and processed directly by our RBI-authorised payment gateway partner and the acquiring bank on their PCI-DSS compliant infrastructure, in accordance with Reserve Bank of India directions, including those on card-on-file tokenisation.

3. Purposes of Processing

We process personal data for the following purposes:
• creating and administering your user account and verifying your identity, given the registered-access nature of the Platform;
• processing orders, Donations, payments, refunds, and cancellations, and delivering Products;
• issuing donation receipts and, where applicable, certificates or statements required for tax purposes;
• communicating with you regarding your transactions, account, and grievances;
• complying with legal obligations, including under tax, charity, anti-money-laundering, and payment-system laws, and with the lawful requirements of our banking and payment gateway partners;
• maintaining the security and integrity of the Platform, and preventing fraud and abuse; and
• with your consent, sending devotional updates, newsletters, and information about the Trust’s activities. You may opt out of such communications at any time.

4. Disclosure of Personal Data

We do not sell or rent personal data. We may share personal data only with:
• Payment service providers and banks: to the extent necessary to process payments, settlements, refunds, and chargebacks, including with the payment gateway and the acquiring bank(s);
• Service providers: hosting, IT maintenance, courier and logistics, and communication service providers, bound by obligations of confidentiality and data protection;
• Statutory authorities: where disclosure is required under applicable law, or pursuant to an order of a court or governmental authority; and
• Professional advisers: auditors and legal advisers, where reasonably necessary, under duties of confidence.

5. Cookies

The Platform uses cookies and similar technologies that are necessary for login sessions, security, and the functioning of the shopping and donation facilities, and, where enabled, analytics cookies to understand usage of the Platform. You may configure your browser to refuse cookies; however, essential features of the Platform, including login and checkout, may not function without them.

6. Data Security

We implement reasonable security practices and procedures as contemplated under Section 43A of the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the rules thereunder, including transmission of data over encrypted (HTTPS/TLS) connections, restricted access controls, hashed storage of passwords, and periodic review of our systems. Nevertheless, no transmission over the internet is completely secure, and you acknowledge the inherent risks of online data transmission.

7. Data Retention

Personal data is retained only for as long as necessary for the purposes stated in this Policy, and thereafter for such further periods as may be required under applicable law, including record-keeping requirements under the Income-tax Act, 1961 and requirements of the Reserve Bank of India and our banking partners relating to transaction records. Upon expiry of the applicable retention period, personal data is deleted or anonymised.

8. Your Rights

Subject to applicable law, including the DPDP Act, you have the right to:
• access a summary of the personal data we hold about you and the processing activities undertaken;
• seek correction, completion, or updating of inaccurate or incomplete personal data;
• seek erasure of personal data that is no longer necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, subject to legal retention requirements;
• withdraw consent at any time, with prospective effect, it being clarified that withdrawal may result in our inability to provide the Platform’s services to you;
• nominate an individual to exercise your rights in the event of death or incapacity; and
• raise a grievance with our Grievance Officer, and thereafter, if unresolved, with the Data Protection Board of India.
Requests may be addressed to the Grievance Officer identified below and will be responded to within the timelines prescribed under applicable law.

9. Children

The Platform is intended for use by persons aged eighteen (18) years and above. We do not knowingly collect personal data of children. If you believe a child’s data has been provided to us, please contact the Grievance Officer, and we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

10. Third-Party Links

The Platform may contain links to third-party websites, including the payment pages of our payment gateway and banking partners. Their handling of your data is governed by their own privacy policies, and we are not responsible for their practices.

11. Changes to this Policy

We may update this Policy from time to time. The updated Policy will be published on this page with a revised “Last updated” date. Material changes will, where practicable, be notified to registered users by email or Platform notice.

12. Grievance Officer / Contact

• Name: Krsna Jnana dasa
• Designation: Grievance Officer
• Email: payments@mayapur.ngo
• Address: Treasury Department (Beside ICICI Bank), Ishodyan Building, Ground Floor, ISKCON Mayapur, Nadia, West Bengal – 741313
• Phone: +91 77975 66063 (Monday to Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. IST) Grievances will be acknowledged within twenty-four (24) hours and resolved within fifteen (15) days of receipt, or within such other period as applicable law may prescribe.