GIRL POWER

A daughter’s education and marriage are key financial goals for most Indian parents. Babar Zaidi finds the best instruments that can help you reach them

- Babar Zaidi

COVID-19 was raging and several parts of Mumbai were locked down, but that didn’t stop Sarika Sinha from giving her daughter the best gift a parent can. Last month, the Mumbai-based finance professional opened a Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana account for her daughter Praashvi. “I will put the maximum ₹1.5 lakh in this scheme every year,” she beams. Financial planners say the Sukanya scheme is a good option for parents with daughters below 10 years. “The scheme offers assured returns, so there is a predictable compounding of the investment every year,” says Prableen Bajpai, founder and managing partner, FinFix Research and Analytics. “What’s more, the interest is fully tax free. Parents should not let go of this opportunity,” she adds.