Cyber-Bandhu
A platform that offers affordable, doorstep digital assistance to rural students for filling admission, scholarship, and exam forms through trained local experts—simple, secure, and scam-free.
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Description
Project Title: Affordable & Secure Doorstep Digital Assistance for Students
Project Description
In many rural and semi-urban areas, students who have completed their 10th or 12th standard face significant challenges in accessing and filling out essential online forms, such as:
College admission applications
Scholarship applications
Competitive entrance exam registrations
Job applications
Government scheme enrollments
These challenges arise due to:
Limited digital literacy
Lack of access to smartphones, laptops, or internet connectivity
Cyber cafés being located far away (2-3 km or more)
Misinformation, overcharging, or scams at cyber cafés
As a result, many students either make mistakes, miss important deadlines, or fall victim to fraudulent practices.
Our Solution
We offer a community-driven web and mobile platform that enables students to request doorstep digital assistance for various tasks related to education and government services.
How it works:
1. Request Support:
Students or their parents can raise a help request via the mobile app or website.
2. Expert Assignment:
A digitally skilled local student is assigned as an expert to visit the student's home and provide help with the required task.
3. Form-Filling & Guidance:
The expert helps in filling out forms, making payments (if required), tracking application status, and offering career or college guidance.
4. Feedback & Transparency:
After completion, users can rate the service and view a full summary of the assistance provided.
Key Features
User-Friendly Interface:
Mobile and web platform with simple, localized UI for easy access.
Doorstep Assistance:
No need to travel—help comes to the student's home.
Trusted Local Experts:
Verified student volunteers trained in digital services from the same locality.
Affordable & Transparent:
Low-cost services with secure payments (Razorpay, UPI) and no hidden charges.
Real-Time Tracking:
Users can track their requests, view expert profiles, and monitor progress.
Secure & Private:
All data is encrypted and stored securely. No third-party access is allowed.
Societal Impact
Bridges the Digital Divide:
Helps underserved students get equal access to online opportunities.
Reduces Dependency on Cyber Cafés:
Ensures safe and trustworthy service at home.
Empowers Youth:
Creates part-time earning opportunities for local digitally skilled students.
Promotes Digital Awareness:
Organizes workshops and builds awareness through “Cyber-bandhu” campaigns.
Boosts Education & Employment Access:
Assists students in applying for colleges, scholarships, jobs, and exams without hassle.
Technology Stack
Web Platform:
Frontend: React.js + Tailwind CSS
Backend: Node.js + Express.js
Database: MongoDB
Authentication: JWT (JSON Web Token)
Payments: Razorpay, UPI Integration
Mobile App:
Frontend: React Native
Backend: Node.js
Payments: Razorpay, UPI Integration
Target Users
Students from rural and semi-urban backgrounds
Parents of students who need digital assistance
Schools or local communities looking to provide support to students
Vision
To create an inclusive, transparent, and secure digital ecosystem that empowers every student—regardless of location or background—to access opportunities and resources online with confidence and support.
Progress During Hackathon
During the Hack4Bengal Virtual Hackathon, our team Cyber Bandhu developed a simple and easy-to-use web-based prototype focused on delivering secure doorstep digital assistance. We implemented a multi-user system with registration and login for normal users, experts, and admins, along with dedicated dashboards for each role. Our platform allows students to raise a help request either through the website or via a phone call—without requiring mandatory login or registration. Once a request is received, our team contacts the student, assigns a suitable expert, and upon acceptance, the expert visits the student's home to assist and records remarks, amount, and payment details. We also started building a mobile app where users can register/login and book an expert directly. This is the progress we have achieved so far during the hackathon.
Tech Stack
Fundraising Status
As of now, our team Cyber Bandhu has not received any external funding but is actively exploring fundraising opportunities to support the development and deployment of our platform. We are preparing a detailed proposal and demo to pitch to potential sponsors, NGOs, and government bodies working in the field of digital literacy and rural education. Additionally, we are considering applying for startup incubator programs and student innovation grants to secure initial seed funding. Our estimated budget for a full-scale implementation is between ₹5 to ₹7 lakhs, which would cover development, expert training, outreach, and operational costs.
Github Link
https://github.com/ranadebsaha/Cyber-BandhuWinner Track
Shortlisted For In-Person Hack
Hack4Bengal 4.0