<p>The Centre has promised "game changer" plans to boost economic growth when Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presents the Union Budget 2021 on February 1.</p>.<p>Here's a look at some top topics she is likely to cover on Monday, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government tries to bring the country's economy back on track:</p>.<p><strong>HEALTHCARE SPENDING:</strong></p>.<p>India is likely to double healthcare spending in the next fiscal year with the aim of raising expenditure in the sector to 4% of gross domestic output in the coming four years, as the country looks to fix shortcomings exposed by the pandemic.</p>.<p>The government could also increase a health tax from the current 1% of income and corporate tax to fund the new programme.</p>.<p><strong>PRIVATISATION DRIVE:</strong></p>.<p>India is likely to aim to raise $40 billion from privatisation of a whole host of companies in energy, mining and banking, and selling minority stake of large companies such as Life Insurance Corp.</p>.<p><strong>BAD BANK:</strong></p>.<p>RBI is expecting a sharp rise in bad loans in the banking system due to the pandemic.</p>.<p>Aiming to boost lending in the economy and improve the valuation of state-run banks before selling stakes in them, the government could finally announce the creation of a "bad bank", where bad assets of state-run banks could be parked and later sold at a discounted price in the market.</p>.<p><strong>DEVELOPMENT FINANCIAL INSTITUTION:</strong></p>.<p>India has set itself an ambitious target of building infrastructure worth 1.02 trillion in the country. However, funding these infrastructure projects may be a challenge given the revenue constraints and strained banks' loan books. Sitharaman is likely to announce a dedicated development financial institution to facilitate financing greenfield infrastructure projects.</p>.<p><strong>IMPORT DUTY:</strong></p>.<p>India is considering hiking import duties by 5%-10% on more than 50 items including smartphones, electronic components and appliances. The move to increase import duties is part of PM Modi's "self-reliant India" campaign that aims to promote and support domestic manufacturing.</p>
<p>The Centre has promised "game changer" plans to boost economic growth when Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presents the Union Budget 2021 on February 1.</p>.<p>Here's a look at some top topics she is likely to cover on Monday, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government tries to bring the country's economy back on track:</p>.<p><strong>HEALTHCARE SPENDING:</strong></p>.<p>India is likely to double healthcare spending in the next fiscal year with the aim of raising expenditure in the sector to 4% of gross domestic output in the coming four years, as the country looks to fix shortcomings exposed by the pandemic.</p>.<p>The government could also increase a health tax from the current 1% of income and corporate tax to fund the new programme.</p>.<p><strong>PRIVATISATION DRIVE:</strong></p>.<p>India is likely to aim to raise $40 billion from privatisation of a whole host of companies in energy, mining and banking, and selling minority stake of large companies such as Life Insurance Corp.</p>.<p><strong>BAD BANK:</strong></p>.<p>RBI is expecting a sharp rise in bad loans in the banking system due to the pandemic.</p>.<p>Aiming to boost lending in the economy and improve the valuation of state-run banks before selling stakes in them, the government could finally announce the creation of a "bad bank", where bad assets of state-run banks could be parked and later sold at a discounted price in the market.</p>.<p><strong>DEVELOPMENT FINANCIAL INSTITUTION:</strong></p>.<p>India has set itself an ambitious target of building infrastructure worth 1.02 trillion in the country. However, funding these infrastructure projects may be a challenge given the revenue constraints and strained banks' loan books. Sitharaman is likely to announce a dedicated development financial institution to facilitate financing greenfield infrastructure projects.</p>.<p><strong>IMPORT DUTY:</strong></p>.<p>India is considering hiking import duties by 5%-10% on more than 50 items including smartphones, electronic components and appliances. The move to increase import duties is part of PM Modi's "self-reliant India" campaign that aims to promote and support domestic manufacturing.</p>