Terms & Conditions

1.1 The 80:20 Inclusion Model

The Association's mission is to make mechanised agriculture accessible to small and marginal farmers. Under the 80:20 Inclusion Model:

• Farmers with ≤2 acres of agricultural land are eligible for a 20% subsidy on rental costs
• The subsidy applies to the first 2 acres only per booking
• Available twice per financial year per eligible farmer (two subsidised booking cycles)
• Funded by: (a) the Association's operational surplus; and (b) CSR partner contributions
• Subsidy is not guaranteed if the pool is exhausted in a given period

Worked example: A farmer with 1.5 acres books a tractor at ₹2,000/day for 2 days = ₹4,000 gross. Subsidy: 20% of ₹4,000 = ₹800. Farmer pays: ₹3,200.

1.2 Platform Description

AgYantraa is a peer-to-peer agricultural equipment rental marketplace available as an Android application only. The Platform connects Equipment Users (Farmers) with Equipment Owners in a technology-mediated marketplace. The Association acts as an intermediary under Section 2(1)(w) of the Information Technology Act 2000, not as a party to individual rental transactions.

1.3 Key Definitions

1.4 Acceptance of Terms

By downloading, installing, or using AgYantraa, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these T&C and the Privacy Policy. Acceptance is by click-wrap mechanism at first login and at each material amendment. If you do not agree, you must not use the Platform.

1.5 Governing Language

The English language version of these T&C is the governing version. Translations into Hindi, Telugu, and Marathi are provided for convenience only. In the event of conflict, the English version prevails.

2.1 Eligibility

• Minimum age: 18 years. Age declaration is mandatory at registration. The Platform does not knowingly permit registration by persons under 18.
• Valid Indian mobile number required for OTP-based authentication
• Dual role permitted: one mobile number may hold both Farmer and Owner roles
• One mobile number = one active account. Duplicate accounts are suspended without notice.
• Association employees, founders, and their household members are prohibited from registering on the Platform in any capacity.
• Government officials and NGO workers may register using their personal (not government-owned) equipment.

2.2 Farmer Registration

• Required: Mobile number, name, village/taluk, land size, primary crop type
• Optional: Aadhaar (required for subsidy eligibility), profile photograph
• Consent: T&C acceptance and Privacy Policy consent are mandatory
• Consent log is maintained for 3 years with timestamp and policy version

2.3 Equipment Owner Registration

• Mandatory KYC documents: RC (Registration Certificate), valid insurance certificate, government-issued photo ID, bank account + IFSC code
• Optional but recommended: operator licence, equipment photographs (mandatory for listing)
• KYC verification: 7 working days from document submission
• KYC rejection: owner notified with reason; 20% processing deduction on amounts already paid; may resubmit corrected documents
• Subscription fee paid at registration: Standard (₹500/year) or Premium (₹1,500/year)

2.4 Subscription Plans

2.5 Account Suspension & Termination

Immediate suspension (no prior notice) applies for: off-platform booking attempts, subsidy fraud, BVS tampering, threatening behaviour toward other users, fake bookings.

3-booking improvement period applies for: rating-based reviews (3 consecutive ratings below 3.5 stars).

Frequency threshold: 5+ cancellations in 30 days triggers suspension review.

All suspension decisions are communicated by email to the registered mobile number and email (if provided).

2.6 Account Deletion

Users may delete their account via Profile → Settings → Delete Account. A 7-day cooling-off period applies. Active bookings must be completed before deletion is processed. Statutory data retention obligations continue per Privacy Policy 10 even after deletion.

3.1 Equipment Search & Discovery

• Search by equipment type, date range, pincode area
• Minimum booking: 1 acre; maximum: 50 acres per booking
• Advance booking: up to 30 days ahead
• Location permission required for distance-sorted results

3.2 Booking Request & Acceptance

• Farmer submits booking request with payment. Dates placed on temporary hold.
• Owner has 24 hours to accept or decline
• Non-response within 24 hours = automatic decline; dates released; Farmer refunded 100%
• Counter-offers are not permitted — accept or decline only
• On acceptance: booking confirmed via WhatsApp and in-App notification

3.3 After Booking Confirmation

• Masked relay contact number provided to both parties for calls/SMS
• Owner's direct mobile number is never shared before confirmation
• Both parties must attempt contact 2 times before declaring a no-show
• 60-minute punctuality window: parties must be available within 60 minutes of agreed time

3.4 Availability Calendar & Listings

• Owners manage their availability calendar in real-time via the App
• Owners may block dates for maintenance, personal use, or any reason
• Listings may be paused (hidden from search) or deleted at any time
• Deleting a listing with pending bookings triggers the Owner cancellation penalty (5.3)
• Standard Plan: up to 3 simultaneous listings. Premium: unlimited.
• Equipment may be listed in one pincode service area per listing

3.5 Accept-Without-Serve Penalty

If an Owner accepts a booking and fails to deliver the equipment without a valid Agricultural Force Majeure reason, a 15% penalty is deducted from the next settlement. The Farmer receives a 100% refund.

3.6 Ratings & Quality

• Farmers rate Owners after each completed booking (Equipment Quality + Owner Responsiveness, 1–5 stars)
• Owner ratings are published on listings (visible to all users)
• Farmer ratings are visible only to Owners (not publicly displayed)
• 3 consecutive Owner ratings below 3.5 stars triggers suspension review with improvement period
• Review manipulation (payment for ratings, coercion) is a suspension-level violation (6.5.2)

3.7 Booking Verification System (BVS)

4.1 Payment at Booking Request

• Full payment is taken at the time of booking request (not at acceptance)
• Held in the Association's nodal account pending booking completion
• Released to Owner only after BVS Step 4 (Return OTP) is entered
• Accepted payment methods: UPI, PhonePe, Google Pay, Debit/Credit Cards, Net Banking, Cashfree, Razorpay
• Cash payments are prohibited under 4.1.5
• No convenience fee charged to Farmers

4.2 Platform Service Charge

The Platform Service Charge is deducted from the Owner's gross booking earnings on settlement. The current rate is displayed in the App fee schedule and in the Owner's dashboard. It is applied on the gross booking amount (before subsidy offset). No convenience charge is passed to Farmers.

4.3 Subsidy Administration

• Subsidy (20% for eligible Farmers with ≤2 acres) is applied at checkout automatically
• Subsidised amount is funded from the Association's operational surplus and CSR partner pool
• Subsidy is not guaranteed if pool is exhausted
• On cancellation, the subsidy amount is returned to the pool — not refunded to the Farmer separately

4.4 Settlement Cycles

• Settlement: twice monthly — 18th and 3rd of each month
• All bookings completed before the settlement date are included in that cycle
• Payment via NEFT/IMPS to Owner's registered bank account
• 3 auto-retries on failed NEFT/IMPS transfers
• If all 3 retries fail, the amount is held and the Owner is contacted

4.5 Refund Timelines

4.6 Tax Compliance

• TDS under Section 194I (Income Tax Act 1961) deducted at 2% on rental income above ₹2,40,000 per financial year per Owner
• Below ₹2,40,000 threshold: no TDS deducted
• Without PAN on record: TDS deducted at 20%
• Form 16A issued quarterly within 15 days of each quarter end for accounts where TDS has been deducted
• GST: Association monitors GST threshold. 30-day prior notice to all users before GST is applied to Platform Service Charge

5.1 Free Cancellation Window

Both Farmers and Owners may cancel within 3 hours of booking confirmation with zero penalty and a full refund.

5.2 Farmer Cancellation Policy

5.3 Owner Cancellation Penalties

Farmers always receive a 100% refund on Owner cancellation, regardless of timing. Owner penalties (deducted from next settlement):

5.4 Agricultural Force Majeure

Qualifies as Agricultural Force Majeure: declared natural disasters (flood, cyclone, drought), government-declared agricultural emergencies, widespread crop disease outbreaks, and curfew orders restricting movement. Requirements:

• Event must be beyond the party's control and unforeseeable
• Notification to the other party and the Association within 6 hours
• Evidence (government notification, news report) to be uploaded within 24 hours

5.5 Mutual Cancellation

• Both parties agree via App → Mutual Cancellation
• On mutual cancellation: Farmer receives 100% refund; zero penalty for either party
• Limit: 2 mutual cancellations per 90 days per account. Exceeding this triggers suspension review.

5.6 Cancellation Frequency

5 or more cancellations (of any type, by either party) in any 30-day period triggers suspension review by the Grievance Team.

6.1 Equipment Standards (Owner Obligations)

• Equipment must be roadworthy and match listing specifications at the time of each booking
• Insurance minimum: valid third-party liability insurance (comprehensive recommended). See 6.3.1A.
• Equipment substitution: permitted only within the same category; Farmer must be notified immediately; Farmer has a 2-hour window to decline with full refund
• 60-minute punctuality window: equipment must be delivered or collected within 60 minutes of agreed time
• 2 contact attempts: Owners must attempt to contact Farmer at least twice before declaring a no-show

6.2 Operator Obligations

• Both "With Operator" and "Self-Operate" bookings are permitted
• For "With Operator" bookings: operator must hold a valid licence relevant to the equipment type
• Operator conduct during booking is the Owner's responsibility

6.3 Prohibited Conduct & Penalties

6.4 Conflict of Interest Rules

• Government officials: permitted to register using personal (not government) equipment
• NGO workers: permitted to register as Farmers or Owners
• Association employees, founders, and household members: prohibited from all registration
• Persons under 18: prohibited from all registration

7.1 Platform Intellectual Property

All intellectual property in the AgYantraa platform — including the App, name "AgYantraa" (trademark pending, Classes 35/38/42), API design, algorithms, BVS system design, and all associated software — is owned by the Association. No licence to use the Association's IP is granted beyond the limited right to use the App for its intended purpose.

7.2 User Content — Licence & Assignment

7.3 Anonymised Data Use

The Association may use anonymised and aggregated data (not personally identifiable) from bookings and listings for: platform analytics, impact reports, CSR donor reports, and research publications. No individually identifiable information is published externally without separate written consent.

7.4 Content Standards — Listing Content

Listing content must be relevant to the equipment being listed. Prohibited listing content:

• Personal contact details (phone numbers, email addresses)
• Third-party copyrighted content (manufacturer branding without licence)
• False or materially misleading equipment specifications
• Off-platform pricing or solicitation language
• Content unrelated to the equipment (political, religious, promotional)

7.5 IT Act 79 Safe Harbour & Takedown

The Association claims safe harbour under IT Act Section 79 as a technology intermediary. Takedown process for infringing content:

1. Submit takedown request to Grievance Officer (V N Kumar) at dpo@agbharat.org
2. Provide: URL/listing ID, nature of violation, your legal right, supporting evidence
3. Acknowledgement within 24 hours
4. Interim action (suspension of listing) within 48 hours if prima facie violation is evident
5. Final resolution within 15 business days

8.1 What AgYantraa is NOT Liable For

• Equipment quality, performance, condition, or fitness for purpose
• Crop loss, yield reduction, or agricultural damages of any kind
• Equipment damage during the booking period
• Personal injury to any person arising from equipment use
• Theft of equipment or personal property
• Farm infrastructure damage (fencing, irrigation, crops)
• Delays in equipment delivery or collection
• Operator conduct, skill level, or decisions during a booking
• Third-party claims arising from equipment use
• Payment gateway failures or delays beyond the Association's control
• False information provided by users during registration or booking
• Unavailability of subsidy due to pool exhaustion

8.2 Liability Cap

The Association's maximum liability to any user for any claim arising from a booking or use of the Platform is limited to the transaction value of the relevant booking. Consequential loss (including crop loss, business interruption, loss of income) is absolutely excluded.

8.3 Force Majeure — Platform

The Association is not liable for Platform service interruption caused by: natural disasters, government shutdowns, internet infrastructure failures, power outages, cyberattacks, pandemic-related restrictions, banking system outages, telecommunications disruption, regulatory changes, and India-specific rural factors including widespread village curfews, agricultural emergencies, and rural internet blackouts.

8.4 User Indemnity

Each user indemnifies the Association against all claims, losses, and legal costs arising from: (1) their use of the Platform in violation of these T&C; (2) their listing or booking content; (3) their conduct during a booking; and (4) any third-party claim arising from their actions on the Platform.

8.5 Protected Persons

The liability limitations in 8 protect: the Association's directors, founders, employees, volunteers, technology partners, and the Grievance Officer, all acting in their official capacity.

8.6 Disputes Not Entertained by the Association

9.1 Governing Law

9.2 Jurisdiction

Exclusive jurisdiction: Courts at Hyderabad, Telangana, subject to the mandatory three-tier dispute resolution process being exhausted first.

9.3 Mandatory Three-Tier Dispute Resolution

9.4 Fast-Track Process

9.5 Arbitration Rules

• Single arbitrator appointment by mutual agreement, failing which by IIAM (Indian Institute of Arbitration and Mediation) or similar body
• Seat of arbitration: Hyderabad, Telangana
• Language: English (translations provided on request)
• Costs: shared equally between parties
• Class arbitration is expressly excluded — disputes are individual only
• Arbitral award is final and binding under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act 1996

9.6 Amendments to T&C

• Material amendments require active click-wrap acceptance via App
• Users have 30 days to accept or decline an amendment notification
• Declining: account is suspended (no new bookings) for 15 days
• Not accepted within the further 15-day period: account is closed
• Existing bookings during suspension are honoured
• Non-material amendments (typographical, clarificatory): effective immediately with in-App notification