"ICICI would be extending about 35 per cent of its loans to the infrastructure sector from its total loan sanctions," Kamath told PTI adding that the financial institution has sanctioned the same percentage of its total loan portfolio to the core sector in the current financial year also. Last year, ICICI had sanctioned loans to the tune of Rs 34,219.6 crore and disbursed Rs 19,225.1 crore. The company had posted a gross profit of Rs 761.03 crore in the first half of 1999-2000.

The venture capital arm has sanctioned Rs 9.6 crore to the sunrise industry.

Asked whether ICICI would increase its exposure to the ailing steel sector after the induction of steel baron Lakshmi Narain Mittal of ISPAT International on the board of the company, Kamath said, "his (Mittal) inclusion in the board has nothing to do with the company's sanctions to steel sector."

The ICICI chairman declined to comment on the company's plans to raise funds from the market, including that from the bond market saying "it is too early to decide on the next bond issues."

On the reported move by the term-lending institution to go global he said "there is no such plan of going global right now." Earlier reports suggested that the Reserve Bank of India had turned down a proposal from ICICI to acquire companies abroad.

Kamath also replied in the negative to a question whether it had any plans to acquire more non-banking finance companies.