The Sindh Assembly session was chaired by Speaker Owais Qadir Shah, in which Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah presented the budget for the next financial year.
During the budget session of the Sindh Assembly, there was a lot of noise and protest from the opposition and MQM members at the beginning of Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah’s speech.
In the session, the opposition members took the position that they should also be given a chance to express their views on the budget, which led to tension in the house. The Speaker of the Sindh Assembly instructed the members that if they do not want to speak, they can walk out, otherwise sit on their seats and be part of the budget proceedings.
Addressing the members present in the house, the Speaker said that these seats are the trust of the people and if they want to remain in the session, they should show seriousness.
He added that the entire nation is watching the proceedings of the house and it is necessary to play a serious role for the public welfare.
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, while starting his speech on the provincial budget for the financial year 2026-27, said that presenting the eleventh consecutive budget is an honor as well as a great responsibility for him.
He paid tribute to his late parents and said that the values they gave him are still guiding him today.
Murad Ali Shah said that the welfare of farmers, workers, women and youth is a core part of the development agenda of the Sindh government, while the people of Sindh have always proven to be a responsible federal unit.
He said that despite the national assistance of Rs 260 billion, Sindh has ensured the protection of its constitutional rights and development priorities.
In his speech, the Sindh Chief Minister paid tribute to the Pakistani armed forces and said that the Pakistani armed forces are the guarantors of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the homeland.
He reiterated the resolve that the Sindh government will continue its efforts to further advance the projects of public welfare, development and prosperity.
He reiterated the commitment that the Sindh government will continue its efforts to further advance public welfare, development and prosperity projects, the province’s budget is based on the four basic principles of constitutional rights, fiscal sustainability, national stability and public welfare.
He said that the Sindh government has set an example of going hand in hand with national responsibility and public development and new opportunities for investment, industry, trade and employment are being created in the province.
The Chief Minister of Sindh, while announcing the establishment of the Sindh International Financial Center in Karachi, said that this institution will become an important center for Islamic and climate finance, while the Sindh Green Data Infrastructure Initiative is also being launched to promote global investment.
He said that 1325 smart cameras have been installed in Karachi under the Sindh Safe Cities Program and work is underway on several projects to make the city’s economic future brighter.
According to Murad Ali Shah, 337 roads, 179 local government projects and 175 water and drainage projects including roads, hospitals, schools and water projects were completed under the development program.
He said that 1 million houses were completed under the Sindh People’s Housing Program for the 2022 flood victims, while millions of women were empowered by giving land ownership rights.
Presenting the budget figures, the Sindh Chief Minister said that Rs121.6 billion has been allocated for local government and municipal infrastructure, Rs39.5 billion for transport and communication projects, Rs25.9 billion for the education sector and Rs6.3 billion for agriculture and livestock development projects.
He further announced that the agricultural super tax rate has been reduced from 10 percent to 8 percent, while social protection programs include Kitchen Garden, Benazir Hari Card and Benazir Women Agriculture Workers Program.
The Chief Minister said that the protection of Sindh’s share in the NFC award with the federation has been ensured and the journey of public welfare and development in the province will continue.
The budget announced a 7 percent increase in the salaries and pensions of Sindh government employees and the merger of ad hoc relief allowances for 2022 and 2025, while the minimum salary in the province was increased from 40,000 to 43,000.
Earlier, a budget meeting of the provincial cabinet was held under the chairmanship of Murad Ali Shah, in which provincial ministers, special assistants, advisors, chief secretary, secretaries of various departments and relevant officers participated.
The meeting appreciated the efforts of the Sindh Chief Minister on record development projects during the fiscal year 2025-26.
On this occasion, Murad Ali Shah said that under the guidance of the leadership of the Pakistan Peoples Party, the journey of public service will continue and more steps will be taken for the welfare of the people of Sindh in the new fiscal year.
The cabinet approved the provincial budget for the fiscal year 2026-27, about which the Sindh Chief Minister said that the budget has taken care of every section of the society.
He said that on the instructions of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, special measures have been included for poverty alleviation, while an important decision regarding the minimum wage for the working class has also been made part of the new budget.
The total volume of the Sindh development budget 2026-27 is proposed to be set at more than Rs 656 billion. It has been proposed to allocate Rs 641 billion for the provincial development program, while a special amount of Rs 15 billion has been allocated for district development schemes.
Similarly, 3,715 development schemes have been included in the budget for the current fiscal year. In addition, it is proposed to allocate more than Rs 350 billion for ongoing development projects, while more than Rs 34.58 billion has been allocated for unapproved transferred schemes.
More than Rs 256 billion has been included under Foreign Project Assistance (FPA). It is proposed to allocate Rs 1 billion for the socio-economic development of slum areas, while Rs 250 million is proposed to be allocated for special development measures in backward districts.
Education and Health
The Sindh government has proposed to allocate the highest funds for education and health in the current fiscal year. In this regard, the development program proposes to allocate Rs 50.12 billion for the education sector, while Rs 38.89 billion has been proposed for the health sector, which also includes several ongoing projects.
It is proposed to allocate Rs 38.21 billion for school education and literacy. It is proposed to allocate billions of rupees for colleges, universities and technical education projects across the province.
Rs 9.22 billion has been allocated for the budget of other sectors and the projects of the Finance Department. Meanwhile, Rs 6.30 billion is proposed for the development projects of the Home Department. Development projects worth Rs 5.18 billion are included in the energy sector.
It is proposed to allocate Rs 4.90 billion for the agriculture, supply and prices sector. It is proposed to keep Rs 2.78 billion for culture, tourism and archaeology projects, while Rs 2.39 billion is proposed for the forest and wildlife sector.
It is proposed to allocate Rs 54.1 crore for environment, climate change and coastal development projects. A proposal to allocate Rs 10.1 crore for the development projects of the food department is also part of the budget.
Rs 4.9 billion allocated for agriculture
Sindh ADP 2026-27 proposes to allocate Rs 4.9 billion for the agriculture sector. It is proposed to approve a development program of Rs 4.899 billion for the Department of Agriculture, Supply and Prices, while Rs 65.67 crore has been allocated for 9 agricultural extension projects.
Rs 1.319 billion has been allocated for 3 agricultural marketing projects. Rs 70.96 crore has been allocated for 5 agricultural mechanization projects, while Rs 25.52 crore has been allocated for agricultural research.
Similarly, it is proposed to allocate Rs 1.884 billion for 7 agricultural water management projects. Rs 3.07 crore has been allocated for the Supply, Prices, Weights and Measures project, while Rs 4.38 crore has been proposed for the Agricultural Training and Research project.
A total of 31 development schemes are included in the agriculture sector. The Sindh government has given special attention to agricultural production, modern machinery, water management and improvement of agricultural markets.
Mega projects of Karachi
In the budget for the next financial year, it is proposed to allocate Rs 14 billion 116.3 million for mega projects of Karachi. A proposal of Rs 14.11 billion is included in the budget for 25 ongoing mega development projects of Karachi.
Similarly, it is proposed to allocate Rs 6.94 billion for 17 unapproved ongoing projects of Karachi. It has been proposed to keep Rs 7.17 billion for 8 carry-forward projects of Karachi, while the total throw-forward volume of Karachi mega projects has been recorded at Rs 35.81 billion.
In the budget, infrastructure projects of Karachi have been given priority in the development program 2026-27. It has been decided to accelerate development work on 25 mega projects of Karachi in the next financial year and billions of rupees of development funds have been allocated to improve urban facilities.
A total proposal of Rs 14.11 billion is likely to be approved for Karachi’s mega projects in the upcoming fiscal year 2026-27.