PRIVACY POLICY & DATA PROTECTION

1. Institutional Mandate & Scope of Policy

This Privacy Policy governs the collection, processing, and retention of data by the Centre for Democratic Governance & Electoral Advancement (CDGEA) across our web portals, research repositories, and institutional communication channels. As an independent think-tank dedicated to electoral systems and constitutional reform, CDGEA adheres to the highest standards of digital ethics and data sovereignty.

2. Information Collection & Processing

We collect information only when voluntarily provided by academic collaborators, policymakers, researchers, and public visitors engaging with our secretariat:

• Institutional Correspondence: Name, professional designation, academic/governmental affiliation, and contact details (email address and phone numbers) submitted via our contact portal or directly to Chairman Shri Madhukar Gupta, Ex-IAS at gupta_madhukar@hotmail.com.
• Research Submissions & Consultations: Policy papers, empirical data sets, and whitepapers submitted to our working groups or parliamentary advisory panels.
• Technical & Analytical Data: Anonymized server logs, IP addresses, and browser metadata collected strictly for website performance auditing and cybersecurity defense. We do not use intrusive advertising trackers or third-party behavioral profiling.

3. Use of Collected Data

Information processed by the CDGEA Secretariat is utilized exclusively for institutional and academic advancement:

• Facilitating policy consultations, roundtable conferences, and multilateral colloquiums on electoral reform.
• Disseminating research dispatches, constitutional dossiers, and official working group proceedings to subscribed institutional members.
• Maintaining secure administrative records of formal communications with the Election Commission of India (ECI), State Election Commissions (SECs), and legislative bodies.

4. Data Sovereignty & Confidentiality

CDGEA does not sell, trade, or commercialize any personal or institutional data. All research databases and correspondence archives are hosted on secure, end-to-end encrypted servers situated within the sovereign territory of India. Access to stakeholder correspondence is restricted strictly to authorized secretariat research staff and policy directors under binding confidentiality agreements.

5. Rights of Stakeholders & Data Subjects

In compliance with the DPDP Act, 2023, all individuals and institutional collaborators interacting with CDGEA retain the right to:

• Request verification and inspection of any correspondence records or data submitted to our secretariat.
• Request the correction, updating, or complete expungement of their personal contact details from our institutional subscriber registries.
• Withdraw consent for participation in ongoing academic working groups or policy surveys at any time without administrative prejudice.

6. Contacting the Privacy & Ethics Officer

For inquiries concerning data protection, archival integrity, or privacy practices, please address formal correspondence to the Secretariat Office: