Daily Times

The Central Directorate of National Savings (CDNS) has started working to increase new investment opportunities and promote digital investment through many new projects. The CDNS in collaboration with the State Bank of Pakistan is developing digital Prize Bonds, which will be available through online electronic channels, a senior official of CDNS told APP on Monday.

He said that the CDNS was in process of launching its first Mobile App for online purchase and encashment of National Savings Schemes. The official said that for a better and more efficient transfer of funds electronically, the CDNS was going to adopt RAAST in the current month of January for the speedy flow of funds through its financial tributaries.

Initially, the CDNS has opened three separate accounts in the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to avoid/stop direct access to the Non-Food Account-1 for its Alternative Delivery Channel (ADC) operations, 1Link Payment, UPI Payment and RAAST payment.

The Finance Division will allocate budgetary ceiling on a daily basis and the CDNS will operate within the allocated funds limit. Accordingly, the PFM Act, 2019 is adopted in its true spirit for the Alternative Delivery Channels of CDNS.

Replying to another question, he said that CDNS obtained Rs550 billion fresh deposits in half-yearly of the current fiscal year 2021-22 from the month (July 1 to January 20). He said that the CDNS had set an annual gross receipt target of Rs980 billion from July 1 to June 30 of the previous fiscal year 2020-21 to promote savings in the country. The senior official said that the CDNS had set an Rs250 billion annual collection target from July 1 to June 30 for the year 2020-21 as compared to Rs352 billion for the previous year (2019-20) same time span to enhance savings in the country.

The CDNS had set an Rs352 billion annual collection target for the year 2019-20 as compared to Rs350 billion for the previous year (2018-19), he said. He informed that the CDNS interest rates were linked with the PIB policy set by the SBP. He said that the CDNS had opened new avenues for public and private investment to document the country’s economy and ensured transparency in the financial system. Replying to another question on the current revision of CDNS certificates’ profit rates, he said that the CDNS had maintained the same interest rate on the savings certificates investment due to the market situation and as per Pakistan Investment Bonds (PIB) policy decision. The National Savings had received an increased investment of Rs80 billion by June 30, 2021, from the newly registered premium prize bond of Rs40,000 and Rs25000 by the institution, he said.

The senior official said that during last year (2020-21), investors withdrew Rs300 billion after the suspension of the said bond. He said that newly registered premium prize bonds of Rs40,000 and Rs25,000 were registered by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and encashed only by the registered financial institutions under the SBP.

Replying to another question, he informed, “We paid the encashment of Rs155 billion by June 30th, 2021, to the investors against the suspension of prize bonds of Rs25,000.”

He said that the federal government recently withdrew Rs25,000 prize bonds and had given a six-month deadline to investors to encash their total savings of Rs160 billion.