<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; color: #222222; line-height: 16.8667px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The Government has planned to undertake reduced borrowing in the first half of the next fiscal compared to the corresponding period of last year. It proposes to borrow 2.88 lakh crore rupees in the first half of 2018-19. This is 47.56 per cent of the budgeted gross borrowing programme of over 6.05 lakh crore rupees.</span></p>''<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; color: #222222; line-height: 16.8667px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: calibri, sans-serif;">Briefing reporters in New Delhi on Monday, Economic Affairs Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg said, from April to September 2017-18 the government had borrowed 3.72 lakh crore rupees which represents a substantial reduction in borrowings.</p>''<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; color: #222222; line-height: 16.8667px; font-size: 11pt; font-family: calibri, sans-serif;">Mr. Garg said, the 47.56 per cent of budgeted gross borrowing in the first half of next fiscal is lower than the average of 60 to 65 per cent in last five years. He expressed confidence that the government will be able meet all expenditures without going into overdraft. He also said, the government will come out with inflation-indexed bonds linked to Consumer Price Index or retail inflation.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>''<div class="yj6qo" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"></div>