KARACHI (Dunya News) - The Sindh government is set to present its budget for fiscal year 2026-27 today, with a total outlay exceeding Rs3.4 trillion, officials said.
Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah will present the budget in the provincial assembly. The proposed development budget stands at Rs720 billion and includes more than 3,715 development schemes.
According to sources, around 73 percent of Sindh’s total revenue is expected to come from transfers under the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award.
The budget is also expected to provide relief to government employees, with a 10 percent increase in salaries and an 8 percent rise in pensions under consideration.
Sources said the province’s overall development budget will be approximately 28 percent lower than the current fiscal year's allocation. Of the development spending, Rs256 billion has been earmarked for foreign project assistance, while Rs68 billion has been proposed under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP).
The government is also considering reducing the District Annual Development Programme (ADP) allocation from Rs55 billion to Rs15 billion, while the Provincial Development Programme is expected to total Rs385 billion.
Budget documents indicate that 3,594 ongoing projects and 120 new, non-approved schemes have been included in the development portfolio. The Local Government Department's water supply, drainage and sanitation projects account for 972 schemes, while the Education Department has 655 schemes included in the budget. The Works and Services Department has also been allocated funding for hundreds of development projects.
The proposed budget includes Rs6.3 billion for development projects related to law and order institutions, Rs1.5 billion for divisional headquarters schemes, Rs6 billion for fast-track completion of ongoing projects, and Rs250 million for development initiatives in underdeveloped districts.
Ahead of the budget session, the Sindh Cabinet is scheduled to meet at 11am to review supplementary expenditures for the outgoing fiscal year and approve budget proposals for FY2026-27.
The cabinet will also receive a briefing from the Planning and Development Department on the Annual Development Programme and ratify decisions made by the finance committee, along with approvals of previous meeting minutes and circulation summaries.