Portal Policies

Welcome to Vikaspedia!

This multilingual portal is a Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEIT), Ministry of Communications and IT, Government of India initiative for providing e-knowledge in local languages and using ICT-based applications for empowerment of poor.

Please find below the policies and the terms of use that govern our relationship with the users and others who visit the portal. Please be sure to read the following before using, or submitting information in the portal. The policies may undergo changes at any time and the amended policies will be published in the portal.

Content Contribution, Moderation and Approval Policy

Content related to the six livelihood sectors namely Agriculture, Health, Education, Social Welfare, Energy and e-Governance of this portal may be contributed by the approved Content Contributors, State Nodal Agencies (SNA), Experts and Expert Organizations in a consistent fashion to maintain uniformity and to bring in standardization along with associated metadata and keywords. In order to present the content as per the requirement of the users, organize the content in a categorized manner and to retrieve the relevant content efficiently, a web-based Content Management System having a user-friendly interface has been used.

The content in the portal goes through the entire life-cycle process of:

• Creation of the content by the approved Content Contributors, SNA's and Experts & Expert Organizations
• Content Modification by any of the approved Content Contributors, SNAs and Experts & Expert Organizations
• Content Review by approved Content Reviewers, SNAs and Experts & Expert Organizations
• Content Expiry - Every piece of content / topics to have a date of expiry
• Content Archival of out dated content

Once the content is contributed, it is to undergo appropriate review and moderation process prior to being published on the web portal. The moderation could be multilevel and is role based.

Different types of content in the portal:-

• Information
• Knowledge based content
• Services
• User feedback and discussion threads

Users expect content on web portal to be as follows as the knowledge portal is being managed in collaboration with various stakeholders and like minded individuals and organizations.

• Authentic
• Accurate
• Up-to-date
• Comprehensive
• Relevant
• Easy to understand
• Easy to find
• Easy to use
• Helpful and informative

Content Moderation Process:

Approved Content contributors are responsible for the words, style, presentation and layout.

SNAs / Domain head(s) are responsible for ensuring the accuracy, technical soundness, consistency in style, tone of content and conformity to government policy/ authors of the content. The workflow is kept as minimal as possible.

As the portal is opened up to some extent, at every stage the content is available for the public to view and for the approved content contributors/ State Nodal Agencies, Experts and Expert organizations for modifications.

Roles and Responsibilities

a) Web Administrator / Manager -

• Overall web portal development and maintenance
• Ensuring compliance with policies (organizational, regulatory, legislative, etc.) that may require changes in web portal content, architecture, security and process
• Periodic security audit of web portal in line with major revisions
• Analysis of traffic on web portal and feed back to Project management unit

b) State Nodal Agencies / Domain Heads -

• Publication of authentic and updated information relevant to the needs of a particular language speaking state users in the portal
• Assist Web Administrator to prescribe policies, conceptualize and implement processes relating to the development, operation, management and content authoring/ updation of the web portal and application associated with it
• Regular language specific content flow related to livelihood sectors like Agriculture, Health, Education, Social Welfare, Energy and e-Governance to the portal
• Dissemination of the information, user flow to the web portal, Monitoring and Performance of the language portal in coordination with web administrator / Manager
• Bringing in the authenticated content contributors for content upload, authenticated language and subject matter experts for content review and approval in the portal
• Timely updation of content related policy, schemes, acts and rules

The State Nodal Agencies / Domain Head(s) would be periodically reviewing the contents of web portal of their respective languages and domains. All contents that are uploaded into the portal are to undergo appropriate moderation by the SNA.

Content Review Policy

It is required to keep the content on the portal authentic and up-to-date and hence there is a need for the Content Review Policy. Since the scope of the content is huge, different Review Policies are defined for diverse content elements. The Review Policy is based on different type of content elements, its validity and relevance as well as the archival policy. Most of the content in the portal is contributed by the registered and authenticated contributors, State Nodal Agencies (SNA's), Experts and Expert organizations.

As the portal framework allows collaborative content creation, the content is opened for the public to view and for approved contributors/ SNA's, Experts and Expert organizations to edit and review.

Some part of the portal content is protected content and is not opened for edit / review. The same can be edited / reviewed by select authorized persons only.

Content related to Discussion Forum, Suggestions and feedback are moderated by State Nodal Agencies before making it available for public view.

The matrix below gives the Content Review Policy:

S.No.	Content& Service Type	Frequency	Reviewers / Approvers	Protected Content Reviewed By
1	Data in the portal*	Regular	SNA's, Reviewers, Domain Heads	SNA's, Domains Heads
2	Policies / Acts/ Schemes / Rules	Quarterly / Immediate for New Acts / Rules	SNA's, Reviewers, Domain Heads	-
3	Documents / Publications / Reports	Quarterly	SNA's, Reviewers, Domain Heads	-
4	News Items	Daily	SNA's	-
5	Photo / Video Gallery	Regular	SNA's, Portal Web Manager	-
6	Technology Upgradation	Regular	Portal Web Manager	-
7	Content upload related to domains	Regular	SNA's, Reviewers, Domain Heads	SNA's, Domain Heads
8	Online Services (e.g. eVyapar)	Regular	Domain Heads, Portal Web Manager	Portal Web Manager
9	Banners	Quarterly / Immediate	Domain Heads, Portal Web Manager	-

The frequency of review of the above mentioned data may be managed and reviewed by the approved contributors /Editors and by the SNA/ Domain heads. The entire portal content would be reviewed for syntax checks regularly.

* : "data" means a representation of information, knowledge, facts, concepts or instructions which are being prepared or have been prepared in a formalized manner, and is intended to be processed, is being processed or has been processed in a computer system or computer network, and may be in any form (including computer printouts magnetic or optical storage media, punched cards, punched tapes) or stored internally in the memory of the computer ( IT Act 2000)

Content Archival Policy

Each of the content components of the portal is accompanied by metadata, source and validity date. For some of the components the validity date may not be known i.e., the content is stated to be perpetual. Under this scenario, the validity date shall be ten years. The content shall not be displayed on the website after the validity date.

For few of the components like announcements, news items, only the live content whose validity date is after the current date is shown on the portal. For other components like documents, schemes, services, forms, referenced websites and contact directory, timely review of the same as per the Content Review Policy is being done. Alerts are sent to the content contributor two weeks prior to the validity date to re-validate the content and if required modify the validity date. In case of no response, then a reminder is sent a week before the validity date and thereafter the content is archived and no longer published on the portal, to enable future retrieval.

The portal content of Vikaspedia is regularly reviewed by authenticated members like content contributors, reviewers, State Nodal Agencies and other experts & expert organization as per adopted policies. Content in the portal has different Entry/Exit Policy and Archival Policy as enlisted below:-

S.No.	Content Element	Entry into Archives	Exit from Archives
1	Programmes / Schemes	Discontinuation of Programmes / schemes	To be kept for 5 years in the archives
2	Policies	Discontinuation of policies	To be kept forever in the archives
3	Acts/Rules	De-notification	To be kept forever in the archives
4	What’s New, News items	As soon as it loses relevance	After the expiry of the validity period
5	Content related to the domains	After the expiry of the validity period	Fiver years from the date of discontinuation
6	Documents/Publications/Reports	Completion of validity period	To be made available in the documents / reports repository
7	Photo-gallery	As soon as it loses relevance	Fiver years from the date of discontinuation
8	Banners	As soon as it loses relevance	After the expiry of the validity period

Copyright Policy

Material featured on this Portal may be reproduced free of charge after taking proper permission by sending a mail to us. However, the material has to be reproduced accurately and not to be used in a derogatory manner or in a misleading context. Wherever the material is being published or issued to others, the source must be prominently acknowledged. However, the permission to reproduce this material shall not extend to any material which is identified as being copyright of a third party. Authorisation to reproduce such material must be obtained from the institutions/copyright holders concerned.

Privacy Policy

We would like to safeguard the information you provide to us about yourself. This Privacy Policy is designed to inform you about our practices regarding collection, use, and disclosure of information that you may provide in this portal. Use of this portal indicates to us that you have read and accepted our privacy practices, as outlined in this Privacy Policy and constitutes your consent to the same. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this, you can reach us at the contact details provided in the portal.

• Your Consent

By using this portal, you agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy. Whenever you submit information via this portal, you consent to the collection, use, and disclosure of that information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

• Active Information Collection

This portal actively collects information from its visitors by permitting them to communicate directly with us via e-mail and feedback forms. Some of the information that you submit may be personally identifiable information (that is, information that can be uniquely identified with you, such as your full name, address, e-mail address, phone number, and so on).

Some areas of this portal may require you to submit information in order for you to benefit from the specified features (such as membership subscriptions). You will be informed at each information collection point what information is required and what information is optional.

• Passive Information Collection

As you navigate through the portal, certain information can be passively collected (that is, gathered without your actively providing the information) using various technologies and means, such as navigational data collection.

This portal may use Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. An IP Address is a number assigned to your computer by your Internet service provider so you can access the Internet and is generally considered to be non-personally identifiable information, because in most cases an IP address is dynamic (changing each time you connect to the Internet), rather than static (unique to a particular user's computer). We use your IP address to diagnose problems with our server, report aggregate information, determine the fastest route for your computer to use in connecting to our portal, and administer and improve the portal.

Use and Disclosure of Information

Except as otherwise stated above, we may use your information to improve the utility of our portal, to communicate information to you (if you have requested it), for our marketing and research purposes (could be on users demographics, interests and behavior), and for providing you with the latest information for direct marketing purposes where we think, you may be interested in the products and services of some of our affiliates or third parties. We may disclose the information to respond to legal requirements; such information can be disclosed with applicable Laws and standards. Your right to choose is important to us though; so, if you do not wish to receive information about other products & services from us, you can reach us at the contact details provided in the portal.

If you have provided personally identifiable information in this portal, we may combine such information with other actively collected information unless we specify otherwise at the point of collection. We will take reasonable measures to prevent personally identifiable information from being combined with passively collected information, unless you consent otherwise.

We may disclose your personally identifiable information to other C-DAC affiliates worldwide that agree to treat it in accordance with this Privacy Policy. In addition, we may disclose your personally identifiable information to third parties, located in India and/or any other country, but only

(i) to contractors we use to support our business (e.g., fulfillment services, technical support, delivery services, and financial institutions), in which case we will require such third parties to agree to treat it in accordance with this Privacy Policy;

(ii) in connection with the sale, assignment, or other transfer of the business of this portal to which the information relates, in which case we will require any such buyer to agree to treat it in accordance with this Privacy Policy; or

(iii) Where required by applicable laws, court orders, or government regulations. In addition, we will make full use of all information acquired through this portal that is not in personally identifiable form.

Links from Other Web Sites

Web sites that have links on our portal may collect personally identifiable information about you. The data protection practices of the web sites that are linked in the portal, are not covered by this policy statement. You are advised to check the data protection policies of these third party Web sites yourself, before using those sites. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the privacy practices of any third party sites. This Privacy Statement applies solely to information collected by this portal.

Security

We take reasonable steps to protect your personally identifiable information as you transmit your information from your computer to our portal and to protect such information from loss, misuse, and unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction.

We will not use your financial information for any purpose other than to complete a transaction with you. We do not share or rent your email addresses with third parties except our agents and alliance partners. However, no data transmissions over the internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. As a result, while we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot ensure or warranty the security of any information you transmit to us via the internet, and you do so at your own risk. Once we have received your transmission, we will use our best efforts to ensure its security on our systems

Children’s policy

Protecting children's privacy is important to us. For this reason, we ask that minors (under the age of 18) do not submit any personal information to us. If you are under the age of 18, you cannot sell, purchase or bid for any items on the portal. If you wish to purchase or sell an item on the portal, such purchase or sale may be made by your legal guardian or parents who have registered as users of the portal, provided that such purchase or sale is not in relation to any adult material/mature audience items displayed on the portal, the sale or purchase of which to/by minors is strictly prohibited

Account Protection

Your password is the key to your account. Use unique numbers, letters and special characters, and do not disclose your password to anyone. If you do share your password or your personal information with others, remember that you are responsible for all actions taken in the name of your account. If you lose control of your password, you may lose substantial control over your personal information and may be subject to legally binding actions taken on your behalf. Therefore, if your password has been compromised for any reason, you should immediately notify us via the ‘Forgot your Password’ link and change your password.

Security Policy

For security purposes and to ensure that the portal service remains available to all users, the network traffic is being monitored to identify unauthorized attempts that may cause damage to the content/ information. Unauthorized attempts to upload information or change information on the portal are strictly prohibited and may be punishable under the Indian I.T. Act.

The portal has been audited by CERT-In empanelled auditor and all the vulnerabilities have been fixed. Upon completion, security clearance certificate of CERT-In empanelled auditor has been received.

Note:Periodic checks with respect to the portal’s security as mentioned in the security certificate will be performed, in case there are changes in the functionality or any other environmental changes.

Contingency Management

The multilingual portal is a Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEIT), Government of India initiative for providing e-knowledge in local languages and using ICT-based applications for empowerment of the poor.

In view of the above, it is important that the portal is to be fully functional and available at all times. Necessary action shall be taken to deliver information and services on a 24x7 basis. All efforts shall be taken to minimize the downtime of the portal as far as possible.

In case of any defacement and data corruption, quick action shall be taken by the respective authorized personnel to restore the portal.

Portal Monitoring Policy

Web being a dynamic medium, changes in terms of technologies, access devices and the requirements and expectation levels of the visitors happen fairly frequently. So keeping this in mind, we have a portal monitoring policy in place, where the portal is being monitored periodically in accordance with the plan to address and fix the quality and compatibility issues regarding

• performance i.e. portal downtime
• functionality
• broken links
• traffic analysis to understand utility
• feedback of visitors which is beneficial for the enhancement of the portal and web security

Generic Terms & Conditions

The multi-lingual portal, www.vikaspedia.in, is intended to provide as far as possible reliable information and data, mostly openly sourced. However C-DAC do not claim responsibility of authorship for any of the data, compiled from various sources, such as other web sites, and content consortiums. Effort is made to see that the content is as accurate as possible – where it is information based. Opinions and views expressed in articles, write-ups sourced from web sites and content partners on schemes, policies, etc, are not C-DAC’s official views or opinions.

• C-DAC expressly disclaims all warranties and / or conditions, expressed or implied, as to any matter whatsoever relating to or referenced by the portal, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties and/or conditions of merchantability or satisfactory quality and fitness for a particular purpose and non infringement.
• In no event shall C-DAC be liable for any damages whatsoever (including, without limitation, damages for loss of profits, business interruption, loss of information) arising out of the use of or inability to use the materials, even if C-DAC has been advised of the possibility of such damages.
• C-DAC also does not warrant that the functions contained in the materials will be uninterrupted or error-free, or that defects will be corrected, or that this portal or the server that makes it available are free of viruses or other harmful components.
• That you understand and agree that any material downloaded or otherwise obtained through the use of the portal, is at your own discretion and risk and that you will be solely responsible for any damage to your computer system or loss of data that results from the download of materials.
• C-DAC does not give any warranty regarding any goods or services purchased or obtained through the portal or any transactions entered through the portal.
• Under no circumstances shall C-DAC be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, punitive, special or consequential damages, resulting from:
1. The use or the inability to use the portal.
2. The cost of procurement of substitute goods and services resulting from any goods or services purchased or obtained or messages received or transactions entered in the portal.
3. The materials in the portal.
4. Any other matter related to the portal, even if C-DAC has been advised of the possibility of such damages.

Because some jurisdictions prohibit the exclusion or limitation of liability for consequential or incidental damages, the above limitation may not apply to you.

C-DAC may provide access to C-DACs' international data and, therefore, may contain references or cross references to C-DAC products, programs and services that are not announced in your country. Such reference does not imply that C-DAC in your country intends to announce such products, programs or services.

For information about how to contact us, please visit our Contact Page.