Lok Sabha Question No. 1654 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-05-04
Subject: Savings Account for Girls
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: HEMANT TUKARAM GODSE

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF POSTS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1654 TO BE ANSWERED ON 4 TH  MAY, 2016

## SAVINGS ACCOUNT FOR GIRLS

1654. SHRI GODSE HEMANT TUKARAM:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government proposes to open one crore saving accounts in post offices for the girl child;

(b) if so, the details thereof and the target achieved so far, State-wise; and

(c) the manner in which these accounts will be beneficial to the girl child?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI RAVI SHANKAR PRASAD)

(a) Yes, Madam

(b) Achievement  with  respect  to  circle-wise  number  of  Sukanya  Samriddhi Accounts opened  is as given in 'Annexure - I'.

(c) The  salient  features  and  benefits  of  these  accounts  to  the  girl  child  are  as given in ' Annexure - II'

Contd…2/-

## Annexure - I

| S. No.   | Name of Postal Circle                                                                      |   Number of Accounts opened till 31.03.2016 |
|----------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------|
| 1        | Andhra Pradesh (includes Telangana)                                                        |                                      746338 |
| 2        | Assam                                                                                      |                                      147604 |
| 3        | Bihar                                                                                      |                                      266432 |
| 4        | Chattisgarh                                                                                |                                      144383 |
| 5        | Delhi                                                                                      |                                      115455 |
| 6        | Gujarat                                                                                    |                                      187260 |
| 7        | Haryana                                                                                    |                                      257389 |
| 8        | Himachal Pradesh                                                                           |                                      128625 |
| 9        | Jammu n Kashmir                                                                            |                                      117880 |
| 10       | Jharkhand                                                                                  |                                      424891 |
| 11       | Karnataka                                                                                  |                                      902910 |
| 12       | Kerala                                                                                     |                                      301121 |
| 13       | Madhya Pradesh                                                                             |                                      326107 |
| 14       | Maharashtra (includes Goa)                                                                 |                                      606480 |
| 15       | North East (includes Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura) |                                       46297 |
| 16       | Odisha                                                                                     |                                      291535 |
| 17       | Punjab                                                                                     |                                      212794 |
| 18       | Rajasthan                                                                                  |                                      300840 |
| 19       | Tamilnadu                                                                                  |                                     1235234 |
| 20       | Uttar Pradesh                                                                              |                                      978263 |
| 21       | Uttarakhand                                                                                |                                      232492 |
| 22       | West Bengal (includes Sikkim)                                                              |                                      558549 |
|          | Total                                                                                      |                                     8528879 |

## Salient features and benefits of Sukanya Samriddhi Account

- i. 'Sukanya Samriddhi Account' is a new Small Savings Scheme for welfare of girl child.
- ii. An account can be opened in the name of Girl Child under 'Sukanya Samriddhi Account' (SSA) by legal Guardian/Natural Guardian.
- iii. Guardian can open only one account in the name of one girl child and maximum two  accounts  in  the  name  of  two  different  girl  children.  The  natural  or  legal guardian can open two or three accounts if twin girls are born as second birth or triplets are born in the first birth itself.
- iv. An account under SSA can be opened immediately on birth of girl child and upto the age of 10 years from the date of birth.
- v. Minimum amount for opening SSA is Rs 1000/- (subsequent deposit should be in the multiple of Rs 100/-).
- vi. A minimum of one thousand rupees shall be deposited in a financial year but the total  money  deposited  in  an  account  on  a  single  occasion  or  on  multiple occasions shall not exceed Rs 1.5 Lakh in a financial year.
- vii. There is no limit on the number of deposits. The deposits in 'Sukanya Samriddhi Account' can be made in the form of Cash or Demand Draft or Cheque.
- viii. The interest applicable since introduction of the scheme is as under :
- ix. 50%  (half  of  the  fund)  of  the  accumulated  amount  in  'Sukanya  Samriddhi Account'  can  be  withdrawn  for  girl's  higher  education  and  marriage  after  she attains 18 years of age.
- x. Account  is  to  be  closed  at  the  time  of  marriage  &  amount  accumulated  in  the account will be paid for her marriage.
- xi. 'Sukanya Samriddhi Account' can be closed after completion of 21 years from the date of opening of account.
- xii. The account can be transferred anywhere in India if the girl shifts to a place other than city or locality where the account stands.
- xiii. The amount deposited towards SSA is deductible under Sec 80C of Income Tax Act, 1961 upto Rs. 1.5 lakhs.

| Year                   | Rate of Interest   |
|------------------------|--------------------|
| 2014-15                | 9.1%               |
| 2015-16                | 9.2%               |
| 2016-17 (I st Quarter) | 8.6%               |

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