Smart Punjab — Privacy Policy
Last updated 5 September 2026
This policy covers the Smart Punjab mobile app for Android and iOS. It is separate from the privacy policy for this website.
Who we are
Smart Punjab is built and operated by an independent developer. It reads information published on public Punjab Government portals and presents it in a form that is easier to use on a phone. Enquiries: +91 97797 74684.
What we collect
To create and run your account, we store:
- Your name
- Your ten-digit mobile number, which is also how you sign in
- Your password
- Your role (inspector, fair price shop holder, or guest) and your district
- The device you last signed in on — a name such as “Amrit’s iPhone” and the time you signed in. This is what allows one account to be used on one phone at a time.
We also keep a record of the searches you make in the app: which service you opened and what you looked up. Ration card numbers, fair price shop numbers and districts are recorded in full. Aadhaar numbers are not. An Aadhaar number you type is sent to the government portal to perform your search, but only its last four digits are recorded on our side, in the form XXXX-XXXX-9012 — the same way the government portal itself displays it.
About your password
You should know how your password is handled, because it is not the usual arrangement. Your password is checked by Google Firebase Authentication, which stores it hashed and is what actually admits you to the app. Separately, a readable copy of your password is stored in our database so that an administrator can tell you what it is if you forget — the app has no email address to send a reset link to.
That copy is readable by administrators of this app. For that reason: do not use a password here that you use anywhere else. Choose one you use only for Smart Punjab.
What we do not collect
- No location. The app never asks for or reads your position.
- No contacts, photos, files, camera or microphone.
- No advertising identifiers, and no advertising.
- No third-party analytics or tracking software is built into the app. We do not sell or share your information with anyone for advertising.
Where your information goes
Account information and search records are stored in Google Firebase (Cloud Firestore and Firebase Authentication), operated by Google. Searches you run are sent to the public Punjab Government portals the app reads from — epos.punjab.gov.in and sha.punjab.gov.in — so those portals can return your result. Those are public services and their own terms and privacy practices apply to them; we do not control them.
If you tap the help button, the app opens WhatsApp with a message ready to send. That conversation happens in WhatsApp and is governed by WhatsApp’s own policy.
Who can see your information
You can see your own account. Administrators of the app can see the accounts of all users, including the stored password copy described above, and can read the record of searches. Nobody else has access. We do not sell your information, and we do not share it except where the law requires it.
How long we keep it
Account information is kept for as long as your account exists. Search records are kept so that administrators can review use of the app; they are not deleted automatically.
Deleting your account
To have your account and its information deleted, message +91 97797 74684 on WhatsApp from the mobile number on the account, or write to launchcrafts@gmail.com. We will delete your profile, your stored password copy and your search records. Deletion is permanent. The account deletion page sets out exactly what is removed and what is kept.
Children
Smart Punjab is a tool for adults administering or checking ration entitlements. It is not directed at children and we do not knowingly collect information from them.
Changes
If this policy changes, the date at the top of this page changes with it. Material changes will be announced in the app.