Canara Bank vs Lakshmi Vilas Bank: Children’s Savings Accounts

Canara Bank has a Canara Junior Saving Account for children and the Canara NSIGSE Savings Bank Deposit Account for the girl child. The bank also has a children’s deposit scheme called the Canara Champ Deposit Scheme. Lakshmi Vilas Bank does not have an account dedicated to children below 12 years of age, to whom it offers its general savings account called Savings Bank 301 through a parent or guardian. It does have an account for kids who have crossed 12 years of age called Savings Youth Power.

Children’s Savings Accounts from Canara Bank

Canara Junior Saving Account

The account is targeted at children above 10 years of age who can operate the account under their own name. Details are not available on the account’s page in the Canara Bank site whether children below 10 years can open the account or not as of September 2019.

Features

  • Kids above 10 years can open the account under their own name and operate the account independently
  • They get a debit card in their name with a monthly withdrawal limit of Rs. 5,000
  • The bank mandates a monthly withdrawal limit of Rs. 10,000. Read with the debit card limit, this means that the child can withdraw another Rs. 5,000 by online transfer or cheques (not clear if bank provides these two facilities for this account) or by visiting the branch and putting in a withdrawal slip
  • The account has two other restrictions. The first being that the balance at any point of time cannot be more than Rs. 50,000 and the second being the total credit cannot exceed Rs. 1,00,000 (1 lakh) in a year
  • A declaration is required from the parent or guardian at the time of opening the Canara Junior Saving Account and for SMS alert facility

Canara NSIGSE Savings Bank Deposit Account

The account has been designed under the directives of the Ministry of Human Resources, Government of India, to reduce school dropout rates among girl children.

Features

  • The account is available for the girl child who has passed class 8 and (a) belongs to an SC/ST group, or (b) has passed from a Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya and has enrolled herself for class 9 in state government, government-aided or local body school. Girls studying in private or Central Government schools are not eligible for the account
  • The parent or guardian has to provide a declaration that the child has sufficient knowledge to operate the account
  • No chequebooks are issued with the account until the kid reaches the age of 18 years. Until then, withdrawals are mainly through withdrawal slips
  • There is no minimum balance requirement in the Canara NSIGSE Savings Bank Deposit Account, which can even have zero balance

Savings Bank Account

The generic savings bank account that can be opened for minors jointly with the parent or under their guardianship.

Features

  • The accounts need an average monthly balance of Rs. 500 for rural areas and Rs. 1,000 for urban and metro areas
  • The savings account pays interest in quarterly instalments in a year February, May, August and November

Canara Champ Deposit Scheme

A deposit scheme that is especially targeted at children up to the age of 12 years.

Features

  • The deposit scheme will be opened in the child’s name. There is no facility for opening the account jointly with the parent or guardian
  • The deposit can be opened for kids below the age of 12 years. After they attain maturity, it is converted into the standard savings account
  • The bank offers an eye-catching savings box to help the child inculcate saving habits
  • The kid also receives a personal photo folder with 16 pouches to record her life stages through photographs
  • In case there is no withdrawal from the account, the account holder is eligible to receive a Loan Eligibility Card for an educational loan from the bank
  • The interest rate in the Canara Champ Deposit Scheme is same as applicable for savings bank accounts. As of July 2018, this is 4% per annum
  • The minimum deposit amounts are same as that for savings bank accounts, i.e. Rs. 500 for rural and Rs. 1,000 for urban and metros
  • The bank offers the option to convert balances over Rs. 15,000 into the fixed deposits under its Kamadhenu Deposit Scheme (Re-Investment Plan)

Children’s Savings Accounts from Lakshmi Vilas Bank Limited

Lakshmi Vilas Bank does not have an account dedicated to children below 12 years of age. It offers minors below that age its general savings account called Savings Bank 301 through a guardian. It does have an account for kids who have crossed 12 years of age called Savings Youth Power.

Savings Youth Power

This account is designed for kids in the 12-24 years age group.

Features

  • The account comes with a minimum balance of Rs. 100
  • There are no cash withdrawals at the home branch but at the same time, these withdrawals are not allowed at the non-home branches
  • Cash remittances are free at the home branch for all amounts but not for amounts over Rs. 5,000 at non-home branch
  • Demand draft or postal order charges are waived off for educational payments but are charged at standard rates for DDs made for other reasons
  • The bank does not provide any chequebook for kids up to 17 years of age. The same age criteria exist for internet banking also. Mobile banking is free
  • The Savings Youth Power Account, however, does offer an international debit card powered by Visa with a daily withdrawal limit of Rs. 5,000 per day. The card is free for the first year and a fee of Rs. 100 is charged from the second year

Savings Bank 301

The primary savings account of the bank. The standard features of the account are listed below and are likely to be different for minor accounts. (We suggest readers interested in opening this account for their child to discuss the specifics with the bank.)

Features

  • It allows guardians to open accounts for minors below 12 years while kids above 12 years can open and operate the account under their own name
  • The minimum deposit is Rs. 1,000 for rural, Rs. 3,000 for semi-urban and Rs. 5,000 for urban branches
  • The Savings Bank 301 Account does not have any restrictions on deposit or withdrawals

Reference Facts

  • Canara Bank Websites: www.canarabank.com/english/ and www.canarabank.in/ (net banking)
  • Headquarters: Bangalore, Karnataka
  • Call Centre Toll-Free Number: 1800 425 0018
  • Lakshmi Vilas Bank Website: www.lvbank.com
  • Headquarters: Chennai, Tamil Nadu
  • Call Centre Number: 1800 425 2233