Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday said the government will stick to its FY26 fiscal deficit target of 4.4% GDP while creating a Rs 1 lakh crore Economic Stabilisation Fund to help the country respond to unexpected global shocks. The minister emphasised that the additional spending sought through supplementary demands will not affect the fiscal consolidation roadmap. The fiscal deficit for 2025–26 will remain within the Revised Estimates, which are aligned with the Budget Estimates (4.4% of GDP). The minister’s statement assumes importance as it was expected that the fiscal deficit might marginally increase to 4.5% due to the smaller size of the economy following the new GDP series with a new base year.