The government's disinvestment drive got a tremendous start, today, with public sector steel major, SAIL's 5 percent share sale being subscribed more than two times, to fetch the exchequer about 1,715 crore rupees. This is the government's first disinvestment this fiscal. The stake sale also received a robust response from retail investors, with the portion earmarked for them being subscribed 2.66 times, a record for any retail participation in any offer for sale, a Finance Ministry statement said. After this Offer For Sale, the government's stake in SAIL will come down to 75 per cent, helping the company meet market regulator, SEBI's listing norms. The government is targeting to mop-up over 43,000 crore rupees through selling stakes in various state-owned firms during this fiscal. A successful disinvestment program will help the government contain the fiscal deficit to 4.1 per cent of the GDP in the current financial year.