What’s New For Senior Citizens? Government of India Eases Rules on Several Schemes

Siddhesh Surve -

The government of India has made substantial changes to minor savings schemes such as the Senior Citizen’s Savings Scheme and the Public Provident Fund. This strategic move is intended to increase the appeal of these savings options throughout the holiday season. 

The government increased the window for opening a Senior Citizen’s Savings Scheme account to three months, up from one month previously. Depositors now have the option to extend their accounts several times at maturity. This shall earn them interest at the prevailing rate on the maturity or extended maturity date. 

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Altered Premature Closure of PPF Accounts

The government amends the Public Provident Fund (Amendment) program 2023 to address premature PPF account closures, notably addressing premature withdrawals under the National Savings Time Deposit program. 

If a five-year PPF account is prematurely terminated after four years, the interest payable gets reduced to the rate of the Post Office Savings Account. This is in contrast to the previous practice of calculating interest at the rate applicable to three-year time deposit accounts. 

Moreover, small savings schemes are administered by the Department of Economic Affairs and include a variety of options such as:

  • Recurring Deposit (RD)
  • Public Provident Fund (PPF)
  • Mahila Samman Saving Certificate
  • Kisan Vikas Patra
  • Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana (SSY)
  • National Savings Certificate (NSC)
  • Senior Citizen Savings Scheme (SCSS)

The SCSS retains an attractive annual interest rate of 8.2%, with recent changes extending eligibility to retired defence services members and allowing spouses to create an account under certain situations, given in the official draft. 

The Public Provident Fund (PPF) is modified with premature closure conditions, only the interest rates are stable at 7.4% in the third quarter of FY24. The National Savings Time Deposit Scheme is now amended to clarify the rules for withdrawal and interest rate applications in several scenarios, for convenience and better understanding. 

Investors can benefit from tax breaks under Section 80C of the Income Tax Act, which allows for deductions of up to 1.5 lakh rupees. While interest payments are subject to appropriate slab rates, if interest income exceeds rupees 50,000 per year, tax deducted at source (TDC) shall be enforced. 

As the government makes these gradual modifications to small savings plans, senior investors are encouraged to make the most of the greater flexibility and incentives. It is now an excellent time for folks to invest and capitalise on these upgraded small savings initiatives, thereby building a solid financial future. 

Given the complexities of financial concerns, seeking financial expert advice shall educate your choices. Ensure to consult the top ones and optimise savings for long-term financial well-being. 

Source: (2)