KARACHI: The Sindh cabinet has approved the provincial budget under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah during a meeting.
According to details, the cabinet formally gave approval to the budget, while participants also appreciated the chief minister’s efforts for record development work across the province.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said the government would continue serving the public under the guidance of the leadership. “We will continue to serve the people,” he said, adding that more development work would be carried out in the coming fiscal year as well.
He said the upcoming budget has been designed keeping all segments of society in view. “In the new budget, every class has been taken care of,” he said.
The chief minister said the provincial government is taking special measures for poverty alleviation and improving living standards. “We are implementing special steps for the eradication of poverty,” he noted.
He further said that a decision regarding minimum wages for labourers has also been included in the budget, adding that workers’ welfare remains a key priority for the provincial government.
Budget 2026-27
Sindh’s provincial budget for the new fiscal year, amounting to over Rs3.5 trillion, will be presented today in the provincial assembly. According to official proposals, the development budget is expected to face a cut of Rs298 billion, while the non-development expenditure is proposed to increase by Rs418 billion. The district development budget is also suggested to be reduced sharply from Rs55 billion to Rs15 billion. In contrast, overall non-development spending is proposed to rise from Rs2,142 billion to Rs2,560 billion.
The budget documents show notable reallocations across key sectors. Funds for education and health development programmes have also been reduced, while Rs99.76 billion has been proposed for municipal services and major development projects in Karachi. The Sindh Public Health Engineering Department is allocated Rs40.86 billion, while the Works and Services Department is proposed to receive Rs31.59 billion. The irrigation sector is expected to get Rs30.80 billion, and various education-related departments are proposed to receive Rs25.86 billion. The health sector has been allocated Rs17.43 billion, while the transport sector is set to receive Rs7.94 billion.
Under the Annual Development Programme, 3,715 schemes have been included across the province. Of these, Rs36.18 billion has been earmarked for 731 Public Health Engineering schemes, Rs31.59 billion for 297 Works and Services projects, and Rs30.94 billion for 186 irrigation schemes.
The education sector includes 655 schemes with Rs25.86 billion proposed, including Rs13.95 billion for 404 school education projects, Rs4 billion for 41 higher education and board initiatives, and Rs3.5 billion for 104 college education schemes. Additional allocations have been proposed for 63 projects under the special persons department, Rs14.11 billion for 25 major Karachi development projects, around Rs29.5 billion for SDG-based mega schemes, and Rs1 billion for basic facilities in the province’s riverine (katcha) areas.