PPF, bank FDs or Post Office deposits: Which investment option offers best returns? Check here

Digital Desk: Fixed-income investments like bank FDs and the Senior Citizens Savings Scheme are becoming more popular as interest rates rise in India. Despite the high rates at the moment, they provide good returns. For example, the Senior Citizens Savings Scheme yields 8.2%, bank FDs provide up to 7.75%, and post office deposits offer up to 7.5% annually. 

Even the Public Provident Fund (PPF) offers an interest rate of 7.1%. Large banks like HDFC, SBI, and PNB provide competitive rates on FDs as well. At the end of September, the government is expected to update interest rates for these schemes. The rates on modest savings programmes are expected to remain steady, according to analysts, based on G-Sec yields and inflation projections.

Small Savings Schemes are government-run programmes that promote regular saving. They consist of social security programmes, monthly income plans, and savings deposits. Different time deposits and saving certificates, such as NSC and KVP, are included in savings deposits. PPF, Sukanya Samriddhi Account, and Senior Citizens Savings Scheme are examples of social security programmes, whereas the Monthly Income Account is part of the monthly income plan.

• Savings Deposit: 4%

• 1-Year Post Office Time Deposits: 6.9%

• 2-Year Post Office Time Deposits: 7.0%

• 3-Year Post Office Time Deposits: 7%

• 5-Year Post Office Time Deposits: 7.5%

• 5-Year Recurring Deposits: 6.5%

• National Saving Certificates (NSC): 7.7%

• Kisan Vikas Patra: 7.5% (matures in 115 months)

• Public Provident Fund: 7.1%

• Sukanya Samriddhi Account: 8.0%

• Senior Citizens Savings Scheme: 8.2%

• Monthly Income Account: 7.4%

The government raised interest rates on a number of small savings plans in a recent review on June 30, 2023. It broke a trend of unchanged rates for nine quarters from Q2 2020-21 to Q2 2022-23 by being the fourth rate increase since September 2022.