Many investors are scared to invest in direct equity or mutual funds. An investor who worries more about safety are always looking for various safe investment options. Government Saving Schemers offers 100% safety to the capital. 

Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana (SSY) — This scheme is aimed to provide savings for the girl child in the family. Parent or guardian can open SSY for the girl below 10 years age in any post office or authorized branches of specific commercial banks.  Govt of India of India would announce the interest rate every quarter. Current SSY interest rates are 7.6%. Maturity period is 21 years or marriage time after 18 years whichever is earlier. Minimum deposit is Rs 250 per financial year. 

Public Provident Fund (PPF) —-This scheme aims to accumulate good amount of money by investing for long term. Govt of India would announce the interest rate every quarter. Current PPF interest rates are 7.1%. Minimum deposit is Rs 500 per financial year. Maximum investment is Rs 1.5 Lacs in a financial year. Any amount invested beyond this limit would be returned back to savings account. PPF has tenure of 15 years. Maturity amount is tax free. One can avail loan on PPF based on certain terms and condition. 

National Pension Scheme (NPS) — This scheme was originally launched only for government employees, later opened up for all citizens of India and NRIs. Minimum age of entry is 18 years and maximum age is 70 years. Minimum contribution per financial year is Rs 1,000. One can opt for scheme preference to invest in Govt bonds, equity and corporate bonds. The higher the component of equity, the higher the returns in medium to long term. NPS is for long term till retirement. One should allocate good amount of percentage towards equity so that they can get returns that can beat inflation. 

National Saving Scheme (NSC) — One of the popular tax saving schemes being used from ages is NSC. These are offered by post office and authorized branches of specific commercial banks. NSC tenure is 5 years. NSC interest rate is decided by Govt of India through ministry of finance and announced every quarter. Current NSC rate is 6.8%. Minimum investment in NSC is 1,000. Premature closure is not possible in NSC except in case of death of the account holder. 

Post office Monthly Income Scheme (POMIS) — If you are looking for safe fixed income, you can opt for Post office Monthly Income Scheme (POMIS). Any resident individuals can invest in this scheme. NRIs cannot invest in POMIS. Interest rate is fixed by Govt of India every quarter. Current POMIS rate is 6.6% which is paid monthly. One need to open POMIS with any post office either individually or jointly. Maturity period for POMIS is 5 years. Minimum amount of deposit is Rs 1,000. There are no tax benefits for this scheme. POMIS is one of the best schemes to get regular safe income. 

Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP) — This is another popular safe scheme from Indian Post Office. KVP is government backed small saving scheme. These are offered with minimum denomination of 1,000 and in multiples of 100 there-of. One can purchase KVP from any post office or selected commercial banks. KVP current interest rate is 6.9%. Interest amount is paid on maturity along with invested amount. The main objective of this scheme is to double your investment. With current rate, your investment would double in 124 months. 

Senior Citizens Saving Scheme (SCSS) — This scheme is aimed to provide regular fixed income for Senior Citizens. Resident Indian citizens who are above 60 years can open SCSS. NRIs are not eligible to open this account. Individuals who are above 55 years and have retired under applicable superannuation or VRS rules are also eligible to open SCSS. One can open SCSS in post office or any authorized commercial bank. SCSS has a duration of 5 year. This can be extended for 3 more years. Minimum deposit is Rs 1,000. Maximum deposit is Rs 15 Lacs. Only one-time lumpsum investment is allowed. SCSS is an excellent government Savings scheme which provides fixed income for senior citizens. 

Voluntary Provident Fund (VPF) — There are basically two types of provident funds i.e. compulsory provident fund which is EPF and optional provident fund which is like voluntary provident fund. VPF is an extension of EPF.  In case of EPF, both employer and employee would contribute. However, in case of VPF only employee would contribute. Govt of India would declare EPF interest rate every year. EPF rate is applicable for VPF too. Current VPF interest rate is 8.1%. 

Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandhana Yojana (PMVVY) — Any individual who are above 60 years can consider PMVVY. The tenure of PMVVY is 10 years. PMVVY current interest rate is 7.4%. Interest is paid monthly, quarterly or yearly depending on the option chosen by the investor. Minimum investment is Rs 1.5 Lacs. Maximum investment is Rs 15 Lacs. 

Atal Pension Yojana (APY) — This scheme aims to provide pension for the unorganized sector workers. Individuals in the age group of 18 years to 40 years can subscribe to the plan. Pension amounts would be Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000 per month depending on the premiums paid. Individuals whoever is not availing any benefits or not subscribed to any statutory social security scheme can opt for this scheme. At the age of 60 years, would get regular pension. In case of death of subscriber, spouse would still get the pension. 

If you are a low-risk investors and looking for safe investment options, you can consider any of these schemes depending on your need.