Rate of interest on various small savings schemes for the financial year 2013-14 effective from 1-4-2013, on the basis of the interest compounding/payment built-in in the schemes, shall be as under :

IDBI Bank limited, a new generation PSU Bank, has successfully launched ‘Online PPF Subscription Facility’ for its customers in the month of February, 2013. The Bank had earlier got permission from Government of India for operationalising PPF transactions through Internet banking.

 Can I maintain more than 1 Public Provident Fund (PPF) account under my name? Only one PPF account can be maintained by an Individual, except an account that is opened on behalf of a minor. What is the eligibility for investing under Public Provident Fund (PPF) Scheme, 1968? A Public Provident Fund (PPF) account can [...]

Provident Fund (PF) & Voluntary Provident Fund (VPF: PF is automatically deducted from your salary. Both you and your employer contribute to it. While employer’s contribution is exempt from tax, your contribution (i.e., employee’s contribution) is counted towards section 80C investments. You also have the option to contribute additional amounts through voluntary contributions (VPF). Current rate of interest is 8.5% per annum (p.a.) and is tax-free.

We have to initially open the Open the PPF account for 15 years and after the initial period of 15 years is over, one can keep on extending the deposit for a period of 5 years at a time. In fact, this is where the magic of PPF begins. One need not start a fresh PPF account and continue it for all of 15 years — just extend the old one for five years at a time, indefinitely. This way, the same PPF account offers additional liquidity to what is offered during the initial term.

The Government of India have vide their Office Memorandum (OM) No. 6-1/2011-NS.II (Pt.) dated March 26, 2012, advised the rate of interest on various small savings schemes for the financial year 2012-13. Accordingly, the rates of interest on PPF, 1968 and SCSS, 2004 for the financial year 2012-13 effective from April 01, 2012, on the basis of the interest compounding/payment built-in in the schemes, will be as under:

Where to Open a PPF account?: A PPF account can be opened at any SBI Branch or at any Branch of its subsidiary bank. You can also visit any nationalised bank in your neighbourhood or head post office or selection grade sub-post offices to open a PP

Based on the decisions taken by the Government on the recommendations of the Shyamala Gopinath Committee for Comprehensive Review of National Small Savings Fund (NSSF), the interest rates for small saving schemes are to be notified every financial year, before 1st April of that year. Accordingly, the rate of interest on various small savings schemes for the financial year 2012-13 effective from 1.4.2012, on the basis of the interest compounding/payment built-in in the schemes, shall be as under:

Interest 8.6% w.e.f 01.12.2011 (subject to change as per GOI/RBI directives) to be applied annually. (1) This Scheme may be called the Public Provident Fund (Amendment) Scheme, 2011 2) It shall come into force on the 1st day of December 2011. (3) The Public Provident Fund scheme is a statutory scheme of the Central Government framed under the provisions of the Public Provident Fund Act, 1968.

Ministry of Finance has clarified that although the rate of interest on small savings schemes will be aligned every year with rates of Government securities of similar maturity, with suitable spread, the rates are fixed and not floating so far as individual investments except PPF are concerned. This is in response to news items appearing in certain sections of the Press that the interest rates on small saving schemes, revised by the Government w.e.f. 1.12.2011, are floating rates, which will undergo change according to fluctuations in the yield on the Government securities.