Government Makes Ambiguous Decision to Withdraw Small Savings Scheme Order: Here s What it Means for the Middle-class By Rajan Sarma, Online Content Writer, SiliconIndia | Thursday, 01 April 2021, 14:16 Hrs Late evening on Wednesday, the government had announced a significant cut on interest rates pertaining to small saving schemes for the three months of April, May and June. The order included interest cut on senior citizen saving schemes, National saving certificates were also cut by 90 basis point to 6.5 percent and 5.9 percent. And, when it comes to Public Provident Funds (PFFs) – one of the most preferred tax saving and investment option among the Indians, interest rates were cut by 70 basis points to 6.4 percent.