Get better returns on small savings from 1 April

New Delhi: Millions of small investors will get better returns on popular post office schemes like Public Provident Fund (PPF) and Monthly Income Scheme (MIS), with the government hiking interest rates on such schemes by up to 0.5

percent with effect from April 1.

Interest rate on PPF have been increased to 8.8 percent from 8.6 percent, while MIS will attract 8.5 percent interest as against 8.2 per cent now, said a Finance Ministry release. Post office term deposits of one and two years will earn 8.2 percent and 8.3 percent interest, respectively, an increase of 0.50 percent. The new rates would be remain effective for the entire 2012-13 fiscal.

The hike in small savings rate, according to experts, may put some pressure on banks to increase deposit rates to attract investors. The revision in the interest rates will help in maintaining the attractiveness of the small savings schemes vis-a-vis fixed deposit schemes operated by banks.

As per the release, the National Savings Certificates (NSC) having maturity of five and 10 years will now attract 8.6 per cent and 8.9 percent interest, respectively, up 0.2 percent each. There has been no change in the post office savings deposit rate which has been retained at 4 percent.

Interest rate for three-year term deposits has been raised to 8.4 per cent from 8 percent. Similarly, interest rate on five-year deposit has been raised from 8.3 percent to 8.5 percent. The five-year recurring deposits will fetch an interest

of 8.4 percent, against 8 percent at present. The rate for senior citizens savings scheme (SCSS) has been hiked to 9.3 percent from 9 percent.

In November last year, the government had decided to make small savings attractive by making interest rates on them in tune with that offered by other securities in the market. In the last fiscal, there had been a decline in the

investment in National Small Savings Fund (NSSF) and the government had to make up for it by hiking its borrowing programme. The decision to hike interest rates is in line with the recommendations of Shyamala Gopinath Committee, which had suggested that returns should be in sync with market rates. Earlier, the government had raised annual investment ceiling in PPF savings to Rs 1 lakh from Rs 70,000.

The government as part of economic liberalisation process had freed the interest rates on banks deposits, giving freedom to lenders to fix rates depending upon the asset-liability position, but continued to fix rates for small savings schemes.

PTI