The base year for the Tenth Plan with its ambitious target of 8 per cent per annum has been weakened by industrial stagnation and the negative effects of the global economic slowdown. Reducing the revenue gap holds the key to bringing down the fiscal deficit. The decline in capital formation in agriculture as well as manufacturing has to be reversed. Hopefully, finance minister would come up with more feasible policy options in areas which would be supportive of growth in real sectors of the economy.