'No pressure on borrowing plans' New Delhi: Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha said on May 29 there is no pressure on government's Rs 1,42,779 crore borrowing programme despite the higher Defence spending amid Indo-Pak tension.

"There is no pressure on government's borrowing programme," Sinha said on the sidelines of All India Conference of Income Tax Commissioners.

The Centre has targetted Rs 1,42,779 crore borrowing during the current financial year as against Rs 1,32,979 crore mopped up last fiscal. The government mopped up a little over Rs 35,000 crore till middle of May.

Sinha said there was some pressure on the expenditure side on account of troop movements along the Indo-Pak border but the additional funds were "factored" in the budget for 2002-03.

Asked about the spate of private placements of government securities (G-Secs) by Reserve Bank of India (RBI), he said, "It just happens with one or two bonds. These are issues which are decided by the RBI. We will leave the judgement to them."

PTI