Govt to withdraw cut in interest on small savings: Finance Minister
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday said the government will withdraw orders to cut interest rate on small savings schemes and assured to restore the rates to the last quarter of the financial year ended March 31.
Post by on Wednesday, March 31, 2021
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday said the government will
withdraw orders to cut interest rate on small savings schemes and
assured to restore the rates to the last quarter of the financial year
ended March 31.
The Finance Ministry on Wednesday had
reduced interest rate by up to 1.1 per cent across various small savings
schemes including National Savings Certificates (NSC) and Public
Provident Fund (PPF).
"Interest rates of small savings schemes
of GoI shall continue to be at the rates which existed in the last
quarter of 2020-2021, ie, rates that prevailed as of March 2021. Orders
issued by oversight shall be withdrawn," Sitharaman said in an early
morning tweet.
Interest rate on Public Provident Fund (PPF) was
reduced by 0.7 per cent to 6.4 per cent while National Savings
Certificate (NSC) was to earn 0.9 per cent less at 5.9 per cent.
The steepest fall of 1.1 per cent was effected in the one-year term
deposit. The new rate was brought down to 4.4 per cent as compared to
5.5 per cent.
Interest rates for small savings schemes are notified on a quarterly basis.
Once restored, PPF and NSC will carry an annual interest rate of 7.1 per cent and 6.8 per cent, respectively.
One year term deposit scheme to earn a higher interest rate of 5.5 per
cent during the first quarter of the current fiscal while the girl child
savings scheme Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana account will earn 7.6 per cent
as against reduced rate of 6.9 per cent.
Accordingly, the
interest rate for the five-year senior citizens savings scheme would be
retained at 7.4 per cent. The interest on the senior citizens' scheme is
paid quarterly.
Interest rate on savings deposits to be restored at 4 per cent annually from the reduced rate of 3.5 per cent.
Term deposits of one to five years will fetch interest rate in the
range of 5.5-6.7 per cent, to be paid quarterly, while the interest rate
on five-year recurring deposits will earn a higher interest of 5.8 per
cent as against the reduced 5.3 per cent.