Interest rates on small saving schemes like PPF lowered

The Indian government has reduced the interest rate on small saving schemes such as PPF, Kisan Vikas Patra and Sukanya Samriddhi scheme.

In a bid to make banks cut their deposit rates, the government has lowered the interest rate by 0.1% for the April-June quarter.

Meanwhile, interest rate on savings deposits has been retained at 4% annually.

A finance ministry notification said investments in the public provident fund (PPF) scheme will fetch lower annual rate of 7.9 per cent, the same as 5-year National Savings Certificate. The existing rate for these two schemes is 8 per cent.

Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP) investments will yield 7.6 per cent and mature in 112 months.

The one for girl child savings, Sukanya Samriddhi Account Scheme, will offer 8.4 per cent annually, from 8.5 per cent at present, while it will be the same at 8.4 per cent for the 5-year Senior Citizens Savings Scheme. The interest rate on the senior citizens scheme is paid quarterly.

Term deposits of 1-5 years will fetch a lower 6.9-7.7 per cent that will be paid quarterly while the 5-year recurring deposit has been pegged lower at 7.2 per cent.

"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 of 2016-17 starting from April 1, 2017.

While announcing the quarterly setting of interest rates, the 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.