Govt to borrow Rs 6.77 lakh cr in Oct-Mar; FY26 borrowing lower at Rs 14.72 lakh cr

New Delhi, Sep 26 (PTI) The central government will borrow Rs 6.77 lakh crore in the second half of this fiscal, reducing the total borrowing for the current financial year by Rs 10,000 crore.

In the Budget for 2025-26, the government planned a gross borrowing of Rs 14.82 lakh crore. However, it has borrowed Rs 5,000 crore less in the first half (April-September) and lowered the estimates for H2 (October-March) by a similar amount.

Thus, the total borrowing for the current fiscal is estimated to be lower at Rs 14.72 lakh crore.

"The Government of India plans to borrow Rs 6.77 lakh crore in the second half of the fiscal year 2025-26 (H2: FY 2025-26) through dated securities, including Rs 10,000 crore through issuance of Sovereign Green Bonds (SGrBs)," a finance ministry statement said.

In the first half, the government had planned to borrow Rs 8 lakh crore, of which it borrowed Rs 7.95 lakh crore.

The gross market borrowing of Rs 6.77 lakh crore will be completed through 22 weekly auctions till March 6, 2026.

Talking to reporters, Economic Affairs Secretary Anuradha Thakur said the total gross borrowing for the year is now Rs 14.72 lakh crore, a shade lower than the initial estimates.

"I would like to reemphasise that the government is committed to meeting the fiscal deficit target," Thakur said.

The government aims to bring down fiscal deficit, which is the gap between expenditure and revenue, to 4.4 per cent of GDP in FY26 from 4.8 per cent in FY25. PTI JD BAL BAL