April 26, 2023

Everything you Wanted to Know About Mahila Samman Savings Certificate

Summary:

Mahila Samman Savings Certificate is a small savings scheme for women investors that aims to empower them financially. It offers a fixed interest rate of 7.5% and a two-year maturity period.

Over the years, the Government of India has come up with several schemes for women empowerment, such as Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Bhartiya Mahila Bank Business Loan, Dena Shakti Scheme, etc. Mahila Samman Savings Certificate is the latest in this list, which aims to empower women financially.

This small savings scheme announced in Union Budget 2023 has now been launched. Read on to learn about it in detail.

Mahila Samman Savings Certificate - What is it?

Mahila Samman Savings Certificate is a one-time savings scheme for women that aims to empower them by increasing their participation in investments. It offers a fixed interest rate of 7.5% and is available only for two years, from April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2025. While the minimum investment is INR 1000, the maximum investment is INR 2 lakh.

Suppose you invest INR 2 lakhs in the scheme at the end of the first year, the interest will be INR 15,000 on the principal amount (7.5% of INR 2 lakh). In the second year, you will get INR 16,125 as interest (7.5% of INR 2.15 lakh). At the end of two years, the maturity amount will be INR 2,31,125 (INR 2 lakh + INR 15,000+ INR 16,125).

Salient features of Mahila Samman Savings Certificate

Given below are the salient features of the Mahila Samman Savings Certificate:

Guaranteed Returns

This is one of the major benefits of this scheme. Being government-backed, it offers guaranteed returns. There’s no fear of loss of capital due to market volatility. With a fixed interest rate throughout the scheme’s tenure, it offers an assured payout that gives peace of mind.

Easy participation

Any woman investor can participate in the scheme, even minors. In case of minors, the guardian can open the account on their behalf.

Low investment amount

Mahila Samman Savings Certificate has a low investment amount to ensure maximum participation. As the minimum investment amount is INR 1000, it ensures women with low income can invest and benefit from the scheme.

Wide availability

The scheme is available across post offices and banks such as Bank of Baroda, Canara Bank, Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, and Union Bank of India. The wide availability ensures there are multiple places where you can go and invest.

Nomination facility

The Mahila Samman Savings Certificate offers a nomination facility like any financial investment. You can nominate up to 4 persons per account and define their percentage in the final maturity amount. Nomination ensures your intended beneficiaries get the amount you wanted them to have in case you are no longer around.

Facility to open multiple accounts

Mahila Samman Savings Certificate allows you to open multiple accounts in your name. That said, there are certain conditions to it. These are:

The maximum investment amount across all accounts shouldn’t be more than INR 2 lakh
There should be a gap of minimum 3 months between an existing account and a new account

Partial withdrawal facility

There can be circumstances where you might need money. The scheme offers the facility to make partial withdrawals. However, note that:

You can make partial withdrawals only after 1 year from the date of account opening
You can withdraw only 40% of the eligible balance. So, let’s say the eligible balance is INR 1 lakh, you can withdraw only INR 40,000

Documents required for Mahila Samman Savings Certificate

You need to produce certain documents to open an account to invest in Mahila Samman Savings Certificate. These are:

Know Your Customer (KYC) documents such as Aadhaar Card, voter’s card, driving licence, etc
PAN card
Cheque or pay-in-slip along with the deposit amount

You need to fill out the application form along with these documents.

How to invest in Mahila Samman Savings Certificate?

To invest in the scheme:

Visit your nearest post office or bank offering the scheme
Fill out the account opening form, provide the necessary documents and the nomination details
Deposit the investment amount via cash or cheque
Get the certificate that serves as proof of investment

Premature closure of the account

Though the scheme’s tenure is 2 years, it can be closed prematurely. However, there are certain conditions for doing so. These include:

In the event of the account holder’s death
In exceptional cases of compassion such as life threatening disease of the account holder or guardian’s death

If the account is closed for the reasons mentioned above, you will get a fixed 7.5% interest rate. However, if the account is closed after 6 months from opening without any reason, the interest rate offered will drop to 5.5%.

In conclusion

For women wanting to venture into the world of investments and make a steady start, Mahila Samman Savings Certificate can be a good starting point. Happy investing!