Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday promised a "never before" like Union Budget as the government looks to steer the pandemic-battered economy and push growth.

While investment in health, medical Research & Development (R&D) and developing greater skills to handle telemedicine is going to be critical, livelihood challenges would have to be seen in a newer canvas with newer perspective on vocational training and skill development.

"Send me your inputs so that we can see a Budget which is a Budget like never before, in a way. 100 years of India wouldn't have seen a Budget being made post pandemic like this. "And that is not going to be possible unless I get your inputs and wish list, clear observation of what has put you through the challenge... Without that, it is impossible for me to draft something which is going to be that Budget like never before, a Budget which is being made after a pandemic," Sitharaman said while addressing the CII Partnership Summit 2020. The Union Budget for 2021-22 is scheduled to be presented in Parliament on February 1, 2021. The minister said that to revive growth, support has to be extended to those areas which have been disrupted badly due to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as to those areas which are now going to be the centres for newer demand and newer engines of growth.

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