Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has criticised the federal government for failing to fulfill its financial commitments to the province, while unveiling a robust and development-focused budget for 2025–26. Speaking at a post-budget press conference, Shah revealed that the provincial budget stands at Rs3.45 trillion, with a record-breaking Rs1.018 trillion set aside for development projects. He cautioned, however, that these allocations could be affected if the federal government does not meet its revenue transfer obligations.
The Chief Minister announced that 1,460 development schemes, totaling Rs590 billion, are slated for completion this fiscal year—an unprecedented achievement for Sindh. Addressing public sector salaries, Shah confirmed a 12% increase for employees in grades 1–16 and a 10% raise for those in grades 17–22, pushing total salary and pension expenditures to Rs1.1 trillion. Key sectors have also seen significant budget increases: education by 18%, healthcare by 11%, local government by 5%, and energy by 16.5%. Notably, Karachi will receive a dedicated budget of Rs236 billion, excluding Rs95 billion already allocated to public-private partnership projects.
Highlighting rehabilitation efforts, Shah claimed major progress in flood-affected areas, with 500,000 houses completed, 850,000 nearing completion, and 1.3 million under construction. He stated that international institutions, including the World Bank, have recognised Sindh’s efforts as a global model. Additionally, a massive rural drainage and water supply initiative worth Rs600 billion will be launched, to be implemented locally and supervised by NGOs.
On the taxation front, the Chief Minister assured that no new taxes have been imposed; in fact, several levies have been eliminated, including restaurant and entertainment taxes. Other measures include the exemption of third-party motorcycle insurance, reduced stamp duties, and halved administrative fees. In agriculture, small farmers will receive free laser levellers, large-scale cultivators will benefit from an 80% subsidy, and cluster farming will be introduced. Shah also announced new initiatives for persons with disabilities, youth development centres, and new school schemes, alongside the expansion of the Sindh Institute of Child Health, which he described as the world’s largest such network.