Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah presided over a special meeting of the cabinet, which approved the provincial budget 2026-27 amounting to over Rs3500 billion, reported the 24NewsHD TV channel on Wednesday.
According to details, the Sindh government is due to present its budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year on Wednesday, with the financial plan expected to reflect fiscal pressure, lower development spending, and possible relief steps for employees and the wider public.
Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, who also holds the finance portfolio, will lay out the budget in the Sindh Assembly at 2pm.
This will be the 11th time he presents Sindh’s annual budget, the highest number in the province’s parliamentary history.
The budget is being prepared at a time when expenditure demands are pushing the government towards prioritising current spending.
Officials indicated that a substantial portion of available resources is likely to go towards salaries, pensions and other recurring obligations.
Among the proposals under review are a 20 per cent increase in the minimum wage, a 10 per cent rise in salaries for government employees and an eight per cent increase in pensions.
Budget estimates show non-development expenditure at Rs2.56 trillion. At the same time, the upcoming fiscal plan is not expected to include major new development schemes. Instead, the government is expected to continue work on 3,642 ongoing provincial and district-level projects, for which Rs400 billion has been proposed.
Overall development expenditure is projected to drop from Rs1.018 trillion to about Rs720 billion, a reduction of nearly Rs300 billion compared to the current fiscal year.
Provincial development allocations are expected to decline from Rs520 billion to Rs385 billion, while district development funding may be cut to Rs15 billion from Rs55 billion.
Reporter: Aajiz Jamali