PNB Sarvatra Savings Account

Punjab National Bank

PNB Sarvatra Savings Account is Punjab National Bank's dedicated savings account product for rural and semi-urban India, with a significantly reduced minimum average balance requirement of just ₹1,000 — compared to ₹5,000 for the regular PNB Savings Account. This lower threshold is designed to make formal banking accessible to customers in villages and small towns who may not be able to maintain higher balances. The Sarvatra account is fully integrated with the Indian government's Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) infrastructure, meaning all central and state government subsidies are directly credited to the account. This includes PM Kisan Samman Nidhi (₹6,000 per year to farmer families), MGNREGA wages, cooking gas subsidies, and various state-specific welfare scheme payments. The complimentary PNB Sarvatra RuPay Debit Card enables ATM withdrawals at all PNB ATMs (3 free per month) and can be linked to any UPI application for digital payments. The RuPay network has deep penetration in rural India, with acceptance at over 1.5 million merchant outlets including village-level kirana stores and fair price shops. One unique feature of the PNB Sarvatra account is the small overdraft facility of up to ₹10,000 that becomes available to account holders who maintain regular credits (especially from DBT schemes) and demonstrate good account conduct for 12 months. This provides a vital source of emergency credit for rural families who would otherwise have no access to formal credit. The account also serves as a gateway to PNB's agricultural and rural credit products, including Kisan Credit Cards (KCC), crop loans, and gold loans, which can be accessed once the account holder establishes a 6-month banking relationship with PNB through the Sarvatra account. Source: Punjab National Bank official website, updated May 2026.