Govt lowers interest rates on small saving schemes like PPF, Kisan Vikas Patra, others by 0.1%

The Government of India has announced lowering of interest rates on small saving schemes like Public Provident Fund (PPF), Kisan Vikas Patra and Sukanya Samriddhi Scheme by 0.1% for the April-June quarter of the fiscal year 2017-18 (FY18), a move that will prompt banks in the country to lower their deposit rates.

For April-June, these have been lowered by 0.1% across the board compared to January-March. However, interest on savings deposits has been retained at 4% annually.

Since April last year, interest rates of all small saving schemes have been recalibrated on a quarterly basis.

A Finance Ministry notification said investments in the public provident fund (PPF) scheme will fetch lower annual rate of 7.9% , the same as five-year National Savings Certificate (NSC).

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The one for girl child savings, Sukanya Samriddhi Account Scheme, will offer 8.4% annually, from 8.5% at present, while it will be the same at 8.4% for the five-year Senior Citizens Savings Scheme. The interest rate on the senior citizens scheme is paid quarterly.

Term deposits of one to five years will fetch a lower 6.9-7.7% that will be paid quarterly while the five-year recurring deposit (RD) has been pegged lower at 7.2% .

"On the basis of the decision of the government, interest rates for small savings schemes are to be notified on a quarterly basis," the ministry said while notifying the rates for the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2016-17 starting from April 1, 2017.

While announcing the quarterly setting of interest rates, the Finance Ministry had said the rates of small saving schemes would be linked to government bond yields.

The move is expected to prompt banks to lower the deposit rate in line with the small savings rate as offered by the government.

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