Privacy policy

This page describes what Jan Sahayata collects, why, and what we do with it. It is written to match what the site actually does rather than as a generic template.

Who this policy is from

Jan Sahayata (jansahayata.com) is run from Dindori, Madhya Pradesh by Take A Step. Questions about this policy, or requests about your own information, go to jansahayatasupport@gmail.com.

If you only browse the site

You do not need an account to browse services or helper listings. Phone numbers are the one exception — they are shown to signed-in users only, to reduce automated harvesting of helpers' numbers.

If you create an account

We store your name, email address and, for email sign-ups, a hashed password — the password itself is never stored or readable. If you sign in with Google, we receive your name, email address and profile picture from Google. We also store your language preference and any support messages you send us.

If you apply to be listed as a helper

The application form collects your name or business name, mobile number, email, the trades you work in, address, village, city and pincode, a description of your work, a profile photo, and a photo of an identity document (Aadhaar, PAN, driving licence or passport — both sides for Aadhaar). It optionally collects years of experience, website, service area, references, and bank details for future payments. Bank details, ID number, business licence number, GST and PAN are stored encrypted.

What appears publicly and what does not

Your public listing shows your name or business name, trades, profile photo, area and description, a verified badge if approved, and your phone number to signed-in visitors. Identity documents are never shown publicly and are not visible to other users. They are readable only by an administrator, through an access-controlled route, for the purpose of reviewing your application. Bank details are never displayed anywhere on the site.

Visit and usage information

To understand how the site is used, we record page visits with an anonymous session identifier, IP address, approximate location derived from it, device type, browser, operating system, screen size, language, timezone, referring page and time on page. We also record search terms entered and which listings are contacted. This is used to see which services people look for in Dindori — it is not sold, shared with advertisers, or used to build profiles about identifiable individuals.

Location

The homepage may ask your browser for your location to tell you whether you are inside the Dindori service area. Answering is optional and refusing does not restrict the site. When you allow it, the coordinates are sent to the OpenStreetMap Nominatim service to convert them into a place name; the coordinates are not stored against your account.

Cookies and local storage

We use a session cookie to keep you signed in, and your browser's local storage for your theme, language choice and an anonymous session identifier. There are no advertising or third-party tracking cookies on this site.

Email

We send transactional email only — address verification, password reset, application status and replies to support messages. Email is sent through Gmail's SMTP service. We do not send marketing email and do not sell or share your address.

How long information is kept

Account and listing information is kept while your account exists. Rejected applications and their documents are kept only as long as needed to handle a resubmission or an appeal. Visit and search records are kept to understand usage over time. If you ask us to remove your listing, it is deactivated so it no longer appears publicly, and identity documents associated with it are removed from active use.

Your requests

You can ask us to show you what we hold about you, correct it, deactivate your public listing, or delete your account. Email jansahayatasupport@gmail.com from the address on your account, or use the support form. Helper details can also be edited from your own profile at any time.

Security

The site is served over HTTPS, passwords are hashed, sensitive application fields are encrypted at rest, and administrative pages and document access require an administrator account. No system is completely secure, and we do not claim any certification, audit or formal compliance standard.

Children

Jan Sahayata is meant for adults arranging or offering local services. We do not knowingly collect information from children.

Changes to this policy

If what we collect or how we use it changes, this page is updated. Continuing to use the site after a change means the updated policy applies.