1. Institutional Overview & Scope
This Privacy Policy applies to all services, student portals, admission registration forms, workshop inquiries, digital recipe downloads, certificate verification portals, and website operations provided by Alkara Institute (formerly operating as Alka's Master Cooking Classes - AMCC), located at K9, Basera, Near Power House Chauraha, Aashiyana, Lucknow - 226012, Uttar Pradesh, India ("Institute", "We", "Us", or "Our").
We strictly comply with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDPA), the Information Technology Act, 2000, and the Information Technology (Reasonable Security Practices and Procedures and Sensitive Personal Data or Information) Rules, 2011 of India.
2. Information We Collect
To deliver professional culinary education, process admissions, and issue certified qualifications, we collect the following categories of data:
- Personal Identification Data: Full name, date of birth, government identity proofs (Aadhaar / Passport for diploma enrollment verification), photograph, and emergency contact details.
- Contact Information: Residential address, phone numbers (+91), email addresses, and WhatsApp contact handles.
- Academic & Professional History: Educational qualifications, prior culinary experience, and career aspirations for diploma candidate evaluation.
- Financial & Transactional Data: Fee payment transaction reference numbers, bank receipt confirmations, and payment gateway invoice tokens. (Note: We do not store raw credit/debit card numbers or CVVs on our servers; all digital payments are processed via PCI-DSS compliant licensed Indian payment gateways).
- Technical & Usage Data: IP addresses, browser types, device identifiers, session cookies, certificate verification logs, and page navigation metrics.
3. Purpose of Processing Data
Your personal data is processed strictly for legitimate educational, regulatory, and administrative purposes, including:
- Evaluating admission applications and conducting culinary batch scheduling.
- Coordinating practical lab sessions, ingredient procurement, and commercial kitchen safety protocols.
- Issuing official Alkara Institute Diplomas, Certificates of Completion, and enabling digital verification via our verification portal.
- Connecting enrolled diploma students with our 100% 5-Star Hotel Placement Network partners upon graduation.
- Sending academic announcements, recipe documentation, guest chef masterclass schedules, and institutional communications via SMS/WhatsApp/Email.
4. Data Sharing & Third-Party Disclosure
We do NOT sell, rent, trade, or commercially monetize your personal information to third-party marketing brokers. Data is shared exclusively under strict confidentiality agreements with:
- Hospitality Placement Partners: 5-Star hotel chains, artisanal bakeries, and fine-dining restaurants evaluating student resumes for internship and employment placement.
- Government & Regulatory Bodies: Statutory educational, tax, or law enforcement authorities when mandated under Indian law or court orders issued by competent courts in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
- Technical Service Providers: Secure database infrastructure providers (e.g., Supabase, Cloudflare) operating under encrypted SSL/TLS parameters.
5. Rights Under Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDPA)
As a Data Principal under Indian law, you possess the following statutory rights regarding your personal information:
- Right to Access: Request a summary of personal data being processed by Alkara Institute.
- Right to Correction & Erasure: Request correction of inaccurate personal data or erasure of data that is no longer necessary for academic or legal compliance.
- Right of Grievance Redressal: Submit inquiries or grievances to our designated Data Protection Officer.
- Right to Nominate: Nominate an individual to exercise data rights in the event of incapacity or death.
6. Data Security & Retention
We implement technical, physical, and organizational security measures—including AES-256 encryption, access control firewalls, and regular security audits—to safeguard your information. Academic records, certificate verification logs, and diploma credentials are retained permanently for institutional verification integrity, while transient inquiry logs are purged periodically.
7. Grievance Officer & Contact Details
In accordance with the Information Technology Act 2000 and DPDPA 2023, if you have any questions, concerns, or grievances regarding this Privacy Policy or data processing, please contact our Data Grievance Officer:
Data Grievance Officer: Alkara Institute Legal & Compliance Cell
Address: K9, Basera, Near Power House Chauraha, Aashiyana, Lucknow - 226012, Uttar Pradesh, India
Direct Phone: +91 96216 07195 / +91 97924 93928
Email: info@alkarainstitute.com