New Delhi, April 1 Less than 12 hours after slashing interest rates on small savings, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday withdrew the order claiming that it was an “oversight.’’ “The schemes of Government of India shall continue to be at the rates which existed in the last quarter of 2020-2021, ie, rates that prevailed as of March 2021. Orders issued by oversight shall be withdrawn,” Sitharaman tweeted early in the morning. “Interest rates on small savings to be retained at level of fourth quarter of last financial year,” she said. The Minister reversed an order announced at 10 pm on Wednesday in view of the ongoing elections, said sources. This would have been the second blow for a large section of the population, especially the elderly and professionals, who either bank heavily on the interest from fixed small savings or put aside for the future in public provident fund. Interest rates on fixed bank deposits have already been falling in tandem with lower interest on credit by the corporate sector.