Indian government plans to borrow ₹17.2 lakh crore from markets in 2026-27 to finance its fiscal deficit, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said. She pegged the fiscal deficit at 4.3% of GDP for the year 2026-27, as against 4.4% being targeted in 2025-26. Fiscal deficit refers to the gap when government spends more than what it earns in a year.