TERMS OF USE

1. Purpose and Free Access Model

BKJ is a gamified educational platform designed to enhance emotional, intellectual, and cultural connections between India and the global Indian diaspora (including Non-Resident Indians [NRIs], Persons of Indian Origin [PIOs], and Overseas Citizens of India [OCIs]), as well as interested foreign nationals.

The Platform is provided free of charge for non-commercial educational use. There are no subscription fees, paid content tiers, micro-transactions, or virtual items for purchase. Points and rewards earned on the Platform cannot be purchased and are governed by Clause 6.

2. Age Gate & Verifiable Parental Consent (DPDP Act 2023)

• General Age Threshold: The Platform is accessible to individuals aged 13 years and older, or the minimum age required under the law of your country of residence to use an online service of this kind, whichever is higher.
• DPDP Act Compliance for Minors: In strict compliance with Section 9 of the DPDP Act, 2023 and the rules made thereunder, any individual under the age of 18 years is classified as a child. Minors under 18 may register and participate only with the Verifiable Parental Consent of a parent or lawful guardian.
• Parental Consent: If you indicate during registration that you are under 18, your registration will be completed only after verifiable consent has been obtained from your parent or lawful guardian through the mechanism provided on the Platform (which may include verification through the parent's or guardian's email address or mobile number, or a government-authorised digital identity service such as DigiLocker). You must not misstate your age or age group in order to bypass this requirement. MEA and STAN may request further verification at any time and may suspend or terminate any account where parental consent cannot be verified.

3. Account Integrity, Registration, and Identity

• Account Ownership: Accounts are personal to the registered user and may not be shared, sold, transferred, or accessed by multiple individuals.
• One Account Per Person: You may hold only one account. A single email address or mobile number may not be used for more than one account.
• Truthful Registration: You confirm that all information you provide during registration or in your profile (including your name, email address, country of residence, age group, and diaspora category) is truthful and accurate, and you agree to keep it up to date. Misrepresenting your identity, age group, diaspora status, or physical location, whether to gain an advantage in contests or to bypass eligibility or consent requirements, is a material breach of these Terms.
• Third-Party Login: If you register or sign in using a third-party service (such as Google, Apple, or Facebook), your use of that service is governed by its own terms, and MEA and STAN are not responsible for it.
• Credential Security: You are responsible for safeguarding your login credentials and for all gameplay activities occurring under your account. You must notify us immediately at [email protected] of any suspected security breach or unauthorized access.

4. Quiz Engine, Live Challenges, and Gamification Features

The Platform provides access to various game formats and features, including:

Leaderboards display your chosen display name, country, and score. You may change your display name in your profile settings.

Hosted Quizzes: If you host a quiz, you are responsible for the questions, answers, and any other content you add, for ensuring they comply with these Terms and applicable law, and for any reward you choose to offer to participants. MEA and STAN do not verify host-created content, are not a party to any reward offered by a host, and may edit, remove, or suspend any hosted quiz at any time. Rewards offered by an Indian Mission/Post are governed by the terms notified by that Mission/Post.

• Daily/weekly timed and untimed quizzes, speed rounds, crossword puzzles, word-jumbles, "Did You Know India" fact cards, and multiplayer team lobbies;
• Live broadcast quizzes, interactive Grand Finale events, and real-time multiplayer lobbies;
• Gamification mechanics including experience points (XP), response-time speed multipliers, streaks, badges, achievement certificates, and global, national, state, institution, and age-band leaderboards;
• Audience polls, story submissions, and moderated Q&A forums, as and when introduced;
• Diaspora Programme Modules allowing voluntary expressions of interest in official MEA initiatives (such as KIP, SPDC, and PBD);
• Tools allowing Indian Missions/Posts and registered users to create and host live quizzes.

5. Responsible Conduct, Gameplay Rules & Anti-Cheating Policy

When participating in quizzes, hosting quizzes, creating content, or joining live challenges, you agree NOT to:

Enforcement: We reserve the right to monitor gameplay metrics. If we detect or reasonably suspect cheating, bot activity, score manipulation, or breach of these conduct rules, MEA/STAN may immediately void quiz scores, reset streak counters, remove you from leaderboards, cancel Points and rewards, terminate your account, and disqualify you from any associated contests without prior notice.

• Use automated scripts, bots, macros, auto-clickers, emulators, or response-prediction algorithms to answer quiz questions;
• Operate multiple accounts or fake profiles, or use VPNs, proxies, emulators, or location-spoofing tools to misrepresent your identity, age group, diaspora category, or location, or to bypass regional leaderboards, eligibility limits, or parental consent requirements;
• Interfere with game rooms, overburden platform servers, or attempt to scrape question banks, answer keys, or platform APIs;
• Share live quiz answers, exploit scoring glitches, or collude with other players during live broadcast events;
• Use platform data or content to train machine learning models, neural networks, or generative AI systems without MEA's prior written consent;
• Submit, publish, or transmit any content that: (a) belongs to another person and to which you have no right; (b) is defamatory, obscene, pornographic, paedophilic, invasive of another's privacy (including bodily privacy), insulting or harassing on the basis of gender, libellous, racially or ethnically objectionable, relating to or encouraging money laundering or gambling, or otherwise inconsistent with or contrary to the laws in force; (c) is harmful to children; (d) infringes any patent, trademark, copyright, or other proprietary right; (e) deceives or misleads the recipient about the origin of the message, or knowingly communicates misinformation or information that is patently false; (f) impersonates another person; (g) threatens the unity, integrity, defence, security, or sovereignty of India, friendly relations with foreign States, or public order, or incites the commission of any cognisable offence, or insults any other nation; (h) contains software viruses or any other code designed to interrupt, destroy, or limit the functionality of any computer resource; (i) is patently false and untrue and is written or published with the intent to mislead or harass any person, entity, or agency for financial gain or to cause injury to any person; or (j) promotes enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion or caste with the intent to incite violence.

6. Contests, Points, Rewards, and the Annual BKJ Yatra

• Selection Mechanics: High leaderboard placement, accumulated XP, and streak scores determine eligibility for periodic recognitions and consideration for annual contest awards, governed by season-specific Contest Rules.
• BKJ Yatra Visit: Each season, up to 40 eligible top-performing diaspora and foreign participants (aged 18–50) may be selected at MEA's sole discretion for the BKJ Yatra, an immersive multi-day cultural trip to India organized by MEA. Users under 18 are not eligible for the BKJ Yatra. Detailed eligibility conditions for each season, including any limits on the number of winners per country, documentation, travel, insurance, and conduct requirements, are set out in the season's Contest Rules.
• Verification & Right of Revocation: Accumulating points does not automatically guarantee selection. MEA reserves the absolute right to audit identity, passport validity, diaspora documentation, and gameplay integrity prior to confirming any award. Disqualification may occur at any stage if fraudulent play or false declarations are discovered. MEA's decisions on selection and awards are final and binding.
• Media Release: Contest and Yatra winners grant MEA and its authorized agencies the right to feature their name, photograph, gameplay statistics, and image in official promotional, archival, and social media channels without additional compensation.
• Live Events: By participating in live quizzes, broadcast events, or the Grand Finale, you consent to your name or display name, score, voice, and image being recorded, live-streamed, and published by MEA and its authorized agencies on the Platform and on official channels.
• Points and Gamification: Points, XP, streaks, badges, and similar features ("Points") are awarded according to rules set by MEA, which may be changed at any time. Points have no monetary value, cannot be transferred, sold, exchanged, or redeemed for cash, and are not your property. Points may expire in accordance with the expiry policy published on the Platform from time to time. Points credited in error, or earned through a breach of these Terms, may be reversed or cancelled.
• Rewards Catalogue: Points may be redeemed for rewards listed in the rewards catalogue on the Platform, which may include digital goods, Made-in-India/ODOP products, experiences, event access, and BKJ Yatra entries. Rewards are available while stocks last; MEA may add, substitute, limit, or withdraw any reward at any time. Rewards are non-transferable and have no cash alternative. Delivery timeframes for physical rewards are indicative only. You are responsible for providing an accurate delivery address and for any customs duties, import taxes, or charges applicable in your country. MEA and STAN are not liable for delay, loss, or damage in transit caused by events beyond their reasonable control.
• Referrals: Each registered user receives a personal referral code and link. A referral reward is credited to the referrer and the referred user only after the referred user completes a first quiz. You must not refer yourself, create or use additional accounts to generate referrals, send unsolicited or bulk messages, pay or offer anything of value for registrations, or misrepresent the Platform when sharing your referral link. MEA may cap referral rewards, withhold rewards pending review, and suspend or end the referral programme at any time.
• Taxes: Unless the Contest Rules provide otherwise, you are responsible for any tax payable in your country on rewards, prizes, or benefits you receive.

7. User Content (UGC) & Public License Terms

• Ownership: You retain ownership of any text, photos, or video stories you submit through features like "My Profile/My India Story" or local heritage photo challenges ("User Content").
• License to MEA: By submitting User Content, you grant the Government of India, represented by MEA, a worldwide, non-exclusive, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, and transferable license to host, store, display, translate, reproduce, adapt, edit, publish, and distribute your User Content on the Platform, on official MEA and Government of India channels, and in public archives, and to sub-license these rights to its service providers (including STAN) solely for the purpose of operating and promoting the Platform. To the extent permitted by law, you waive any moral rights in your User Content in favour of MEA.
• Your Representations: You represent that you own or have the necessary rights to submit the User Content, that it does not infringe any third party's rights, and that any person identifiable in it has consented to its submission.
• Public User Content: If you choose to publish a custom challenge, public quiz, or media submission, you acknowledge that other users may view and interact with that content. User Content reflects the views of the user who submitted it and not those of MEA or the Government of India, and MEA does not endorse any User Content.
• Content Moderation: MEA and STAN reserve the right (but assume no obligation) to review, moderate, decline to publish, or immediately remove any User Content that violates these Terms or applicable law. User Content may be automatically screened for prohibited content and personal information before or after publication.

8. Generative AI Content Disclaimer

Certain platform features, such as translated quiz drafts, automated hint texts, and educational context ("Explain the Answer"), may be drafted using Generative AI tools. All AI-generated content undergoes human editorial review prior to publication. However, educational content is provided for engagement purposes; users may flag potential errors via our support channels. MEA's determination of the correct answer to any quiz question is final. Where an error in a question or answer key is confirmed, MEA may correct it prospectively and may, at its discretion, adjust affected scores. No claim shall lie against MEA or STAN in respect of any such error.

9. Intellectual Property Rights

All software, game designs, question banks, algorithms, graphic interfaces, trademarks, logos ("Bharat Ko Janiye", "INDIQO"), and audio-visual media are the exclusive property of the Government of India (MEA) or its licensors.

Subject to your compliance with these Terms, MEA grants you a limited, non-exclusive, revocable, non-transferable, non-sublicensable license to access and use the Platform for personal, non-commercial educational purposes. You may not reverse engineer, copy, frame, sell, or exploit any portion of the Platform or its software engine.

10. Data Protection & Privacy Compliance

• Data Processing: Your personal data is processed in accordance with the Privacy Policy published on the Platform and the DPDP Act, 2023 and the rules made thereunder.
• Data Localization: All personal data, game logs, telemetry, and platform databases are stored on cloud server infrastructure physically located within the territory of India.
• Processor Limitations: STAN processes user data purely as a Data Processor on behalf of MEA and is strictly prohibited from selling, sharing, or utilizing user data for commercial, advertising, or third-party purposes.

11. Account Deletion, Suspension, and Termination

• Deletion by You: You may delete your account at any time using the self-service option in the Platform. On deletion, your Points, streaks, badges, leaderboard positions, and unredeemed rewards are forfeited and cannot be restored. Certificates already issued to you remain valid. Your personal data is handled as described in the Privacy Policy.
• Suspension or Termination by Us: MEA or STAN may suspend, restrict, or terminate your account, with or without notice, if you breach these Terms, the Contest Rules, or applicable law; if required by law or by a competent authority; or if the Platform or a feature is discontinued. On termination, the license granted to you under Clause 9 ends immediately.
• Survival: Clauses 7, 9, 13, 16, and 18, and any other provision which by its nature is intended to survive, continue to apply after termination or deletion of your account.

12. Disclaimer of Warranties

The Platform, quiz engine, and all resources are provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. MEA and STAN make no warranties, express or implied, that the platform will operate completely error-free, without scheduled maintenance downtime, or free from external network interruptions.

13. Limitation of Liability & Indemnity

To the maximum extent permitted under applicable law (including, if you reside outside India, any mandatory consumer protection law of your country of residence that cannot be excluded by agreement):

• Neither MEA nor STAN, nor their officers, directors, or employees, shall be liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential damages resulting from your platform participation, leaderboard standings, or non-selection for contest prizes.
• You agree to indemnify and hold harmless MEA and STAN against any claims, losses, or expenses (including legal fees) arising from your breach of these Terms, unlawful conduct, or violation of third-party intellectual property rights via User Content.

14. Changes to these Terms and to the Platform

MEA may amend these Terms from time to time. The updated Terms will be published on the Platform with a revised "Last updated" date, and material changes will be notified through the Platform or by email to your registered address. Your continued use of the Platform after the effective date of the change constitutes acceptance of the amended Terms. MEA may also modify, suspend, or discontinue any feature, contest, reward, or the Platform itself at any time, without liability to you.

15. Grievance Redressal & Contact Mechanisms

For general support, contest queries, or flagging inaccurate content, contact us at [email protected].

In accordance with the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the DPDP Act, 2023, for escalated privacy requests, statutory data principal rights, or legal notices, please write to the designated Grievance Officer:

• Name: Grievance Officer
• Designation: Grievance Officer, Bharat Ko Janiye / INDIQO Platform
• Email: [email protected]
• Postal Address: XP Division, Ministry of External Affairs, South Block, New Delhi - 110011

Complaints about User Content or the Platform will be acknowledged within 24 hours and resolved within 15 days of receipt, in accordance with the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. If you are not satisfied with the decision of the Grievance Officer, you may appeal to the Grievance Appellate Committee constituted by the Central Government within 30 days of that decision. Requests relating to your personal data are handled as described in the Privacy Policy.

16. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

These Terms are governed exclusively by the laws of India. Any dispute, legal action, or proceeding arising out of or in connection with the Platform or these Terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent courts at New Delhi, India. Before initiating any legal proceedings, you agree to first raise the matter in writing with the Grievance Officer and allow 30 days for resolution.

17. Language

These Terms are drafted in English. Translations into other languages are provided for convenience only. In the event of any conflict or inconsistency, the English version prevails.

18. General Provisions

• Order of Precedence: In the event of conflict, the Contest Rules for a particular contest prevail over these Terms in respect of that contest, and the Privacy Policy governs all matters relating to personal data.
• App Stores: If you download the Platform from the Apple App Store or Google Play, you acknowledge that Apple Inc. and Google LLC are not parties to these Terms, have no obligation to provide maintenance or support for the application, are not responsible for any claim relating to the application or your use of it, and are third-party beneficiaries of these Terms entitled to enforce them against you. Your use of the application must also comply with the applicable store's terms of service.
• Force Majeure: Neither MEA nor STAN is liable for any failure or delay in performance caused by events beyond their reasonable control, including natural disasters, epidemics, acts of government, war, civil disturbance, strikes, failure of telecommunications or internet infrastructure, or cyber-attack.
• Severability: If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid or unenforceable, that provision will be applied to the extent permitted and the remaining provisions will continue in full force.
• No Waiver: Any failure or delay by MEA or STAN in enforcing a provision of these Terms is not a waiver of the right to enforce it later.
• Assignment: You may not assign or transfer your rights or obligations under these Terms. MEA may assign these Terms to any successor Government entity or to any service provider engaged to operate the Platform.
• Entire Agreement: These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and any applicable Contest Rules, constitute the entire agreement between you and MEA regarding the Platform.