For centuries, the girl child was regarded as a burden in
India. Every government in power has tried to make strides to afford girls
equal opportunities as those provided to men in society. The government has run
several campaigns to change the mind-set of parents, encouraging them to invest
in their daughters’ future. One such campaign launched by the Government was
the ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ campaign. Shortly after the campaign, the
government also launched the Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana – a Government-backed
scheme through which parents of the girl child can afford their daughters a
sense of financial independence. Here’s some important information regarding
this scheme.
Getting and filing the account opening form
To avail benefits from the Sukanya Scheme, parents and
guardians of the girl child need to open an account under the scheme.
Parents/guardians need to fill a Sukanya Samriddhi Account form also known as
the SSA-1 Form. They can avail the same from their nearest post office or
participating banks or even apply
for Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana Online through the bank’s internet banking
portal. The SSA-1 Form is a simple form in which they must provide some
necessary details such as the name of the girl child, her date of birth, and
age, along with their own information.
Parents/guardians must also complete the
KYC process. Note that the girl child should be named as the primary account
holder.
Documents required
Along with the duly filled SSA-1 form, parents/guardians
must also attach a few, mandatory documents while applying for the Sukanya
Samriddhi Scheme.
They are as under:
The birth certificate of the girl child (the primary
beneficiary)
The identity proof documents of the parent/ guardian (PAN,
Passport, Aadhaar, Voter’s ID, driving license)
The Address proof documents of the parent/guardian
(Passport, Aadhaar, Voter’s ID, driving license, bank passbook with photo
attested, utility bills)
The instrument or mode of payment (cheque, cash or bank
account details) along with an initial contribution of ₹250 or more
Passbook and annual contributions
Once the bank or post office, verifies the documents, the SSY
account will be opened. Beneficiaries will be provided with a passbook in which
they can regularly update, to track the sums deposited in the account. To keep
the account active, parents/guardians must deposit at least ₹250 per annum. The
maximum contribution allowed per annum under this scheme is ₹150,000.
Operating the account
Parents/guardians of the account holder are permitted to
operate the account on behalf of the girl child until she turns 18 years old.
However, they may only deposit sums into the Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana Account.
Only the girl child is allowed to withdraw amounts from the account. Parents
can operate the account online through net banking or through the Post Office’s
IPPB Mobile banking Application.
