The government reviews the interest rates applicable to these savings schemes on a quarterly basisPublic Provident Fund (PPF) provides an annual return of 7.1 per cent for the third quarter of current financial year.

The PPF scheme, which comes with a maturity period of 15 years, is one among nine small savings instruments currently offered by the government.

Investment in these small savings schemes currently fetches returns to the tune of 4-7.6 per cent per annum.

these schemes are available in designated branches of commercial banks as well as the post office. Of these schemes, the time deposit or term deposit scheme comes in four maturity options, ranging from one to five years.The government reviews the interest rates applicable to these savings schemes on a quarterly basis.