Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on 01-July-2025 convened a top-level cabinet meeting with provincial ministers, advisers, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah and relevant secretaries to deliberate on the province’s budget proposals for the upcoming fiscal year 2025-26.
The meeting underscored the government’s commitment to inclusive development, poverty alleviation and sustainable progress in line with directives of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
Opening the session, the CM remarked, “I want to engage all cabinet members thoroughly in shaping the next budget to ensure it addresses the real needs of our people.”
He added that under Bilawal’s leadership, the government had collected proposals from every district to make the budget representative and impactful.
Murad outlined the core focus areas of the new budget that are water supply and drainage, solar energy expansion, education, healthcare, agriculture and industrial growth.
“This year, we have not introduced any new schemes under the priority to complete ongoing projects,” he said. He added that for the upcoming budget, Bilawal had issued instructions for launching new initiatives that would bring tangible benefits to the people.
Key highlights from the meeting included continued rehabilitation efforts for flood-affected communities, repair of schools and hospitals, launch of new mega projects through public-private partnerships to boost infrastructure and services, strengthening social protection programmes aimed at eradicating poverty, and increasing budget allocations for repair and maintenance, as well as upgrading hospital equipment and completion of transport projects in Karachi to improve urban mobility.
Proposals presented by the cabinet members included reducing non-development expenditures and empowering local governments to help them become financially self-sustaining, introducing digital cash transfers with incentives to enhance social welfare delivery, expanding solid waste management and solar energy systems across the province, and constructing new bus stands in multiple districts to improve public transportation.
The CM highlighted the importance of coordination between the federal and provincial government. He stated that Sindh would finalise the coming budget based on the federal government’s funding commitments and its revenue targets to ensure fiscal responsibility and effectiveness.
“After Eidul Azha, we will hold further meetings to finalise and approve the budget proposals. Our goal is to present a budget that is transparent, development-oriented, and focused on improving the lives of every Sindh resident,” the CM concluded.
Published in News Daily on 01 June 2025.