NEW DELHI: Faced with a cash crunch, the finance ministry is moving a proposal to increase interest rates on small savings schemes such as Public Provident Fund and post office deposits but politics may play spoilsport.
Official sources told TOI that finance minister Pranab Mukherjee will decide on the proposal over the next few days as small savings instruments have lost out to bank deposits that earn higher interest. As a result, the government has been forced to borrow Rs 53,000 crore more from the market by issuing bonds, a move that can increase interest rates further and also upset budgetary calculations.
If Mukherjee approves an increase in interest rates on small savings, your PPF will fetch you at least 8.2%, instead of 8% now, while senior citizens can hope to earn around 9%. In addition, individuals will be permitted to park Rs 1 lakh in PPF accounts instead of Rs 70,000 at present. Similarly, post office deposits will fetch 50-70 basis points higher (100 basis points = one percentage point).
But politics over two schemes are holding back a green light from the finance minister. Sources said the finance ministry has received several representations from individuals urging not to abolish the Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP), while nearly 5 lakh agents have opposed the move to cut the commission on Mahila Pradhan Kshetriya Bachat Yojana (MPKBY) to 1% from 4%.
