Some important aspects of Sindh Budget 2026-27
Ishak Soomro
Ishak Soomro
The Sindh government has presented
its annual budget for the fiscal year 2026-27 at a time when the country is
facing overall economic pressures, IMF conditions, inflation, limited resources
and development needs. Although every year’s budget is based on hopes and
expectations, after reviewing the statistics of some departments and private
institutions in the budget presented by Sindh, interesting and important things
emerge.
Education sector budget figures show
that this year the Sindh government has allocated a huge amount of Rs 5 billion
for the Sindh Textbook Board to provide free books to students from first grade
to matriculation. The process of providing free books to students up to
matriculation in government schools has been going on for many years.
Similarly, books worth Rs 850 million will be printed for the students of Sindh
Education Foundation and distributed free of cost among the students.
The budget of the Sindh Technical
Education and Vocational Training Authority has been increased to Rs 3.55
billion. This year, a total budget of Rs 44.46 billion has been allocated for
the province’s 32 universities, their campuses and study centers of the
institutions. Rs 2.76 billion has been allocated for religious schools. Rs 5
billion has been allocated for the Reforms Support Unit of the Education
Department.
In addition, a huge amount of Rs
6.80 billion has been allocated for the admission and annual examinations of
students from 9th to 12th grade, i.e. secondary and higher secondary, which
shows that education from primary to intermediate is completely free in Sindh,
which is a big step for the improvement and welfare of education. In addition,
Rs 1.30 billion has been allocated for 13 cadet colleges established in the
province, and Rs 120 million has been allocated for 4 community-based colleges
in the province.
In addition, separate funds have
been allocated for 11 new campuses, centers and institutions of the University
of Karachi and the University of Sindh.
Rs 500 million has been allocated
for scholarships for students from Sindh in foreign countries, especially
Oxford University in England.
In the health sector, a large amount
has been allocated in the budget for the year 2026-27 for cancer, heart, kidney
and children's diseases, as well as maternal and child health and its
institutions, which includes Rs 26.25 billion for Sindh Institute of Urology
and Transplantation (SIUT), while this year Rs 1.25 billion has been allocated
for Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation institutes Kot Addu, Rahim
Yar Khan, Gujar Khan, Sargodha, Dera Ismail Khan, i.e. outside the province.
Sindh Institute of Child Health and
Neonatology Rs 7.88 billion, National Institute of Child Health Karachi Rs 2.74
billion, Sindh Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases Rs 14 billion, National
Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (separate) Rs 12 billion, Sindh Institute
of Advanced Endoscopy and Gastroenterology Karachi Rs 80 million, Shaheed
Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Institute of Trauma Karachi Rs 5.70 billion, Pir Abdul
Qadir Shah Jilani Institute of Medical Sciences Gambat Rs 14.37 billion, Jinnah
Postgraduate Medical Center Karachi Rs 12.42 billion, Indus Hospital Rs 8
billion.
In addition to the province's
private health institutions: Kidney Center Karachi Rs 300 million, Eye Diseases
Hospital LRBT Rs 80 million, Marie Adelaide Leprosy Center Rs 250 million, NGO
Child Life Foundation Karachi Rs 3.50 billion, Women and Children Medical Care
Trust Shikarpur Rs 30 million, Cancer Foundation Karachi Rs 50 million, Fatemid
Foundation Rs 120 million.
Along with this, a budget of crores
of rupees has been kept for half a dozen other private health institutions. Rs
14.38 billion has been kept in the budget for various immunizations. It should
be remembered that apart from the above-mentioned government institutions and
one or two private institutions, free health facilities are available there,
since people from all over the country are getting free treatment, which is a
commendable initiative of the Sindh government in the health sector.
This year, the Sindh budget has
allocated Rs 2 billion for the construction of houses for flood victims in Baluchistan’s
Jaffar Abad and Sohbatpur districts and Rs 99.5 million for the project of a
Technical and Vocational Institute for Women in Batkhela and Malakand.
While Rs 1.41 billion has been
allocated for the 45 platoons of the Frontier Constabulary deployed in Sindh,
Rs 1.30 billion for the FC and Rs 6.2 billion for the Rangers, it should be
noted that Rs 193.55 billion has been allocated separately for the Sindh
Police.
Journalistic institutions, including
the Karachi Press Club, which has the largest budget allocation, with a monthly
grant of Rs 5.8 million and an annual budget of Rs 70 million, Hyderabad Press
Club has been allocated monthly approximately Rs 3 million and Rs 30.5 million
annually. Sukkur, Nawabshah, Larkana and Mirpurkhas Press Clubs have been
allocated Rs 5 million each, and a separate special grant of Rs 50 million for
deserving journalists.
Rs 20 million for Sindh
Parliamentary Reporters Association, Rs 10 million for Sindh Newspapers
Society, Rs 10 million for Hyderabad Union of Journalists, Rs 10 million for
Karachi Union of Journalists, Rs 5 million for Pakistan Federal Union of
Journalists, Rs 5 million for SJU, Rs 2 million for Pakistan Association of
Press Photographers.
On the other hand, a monthly budget
of Rs 50 million and an annual budget of Rs 600 million have been allocated for
the Karachi Arts Council, Rs 15 million for the Arts Council Larkana, Rs 2.79
million for the Mehran Arts Council Hyderabad, Rs 50 million for NAPA Karachi,
Rs 14 million for the Lahoti Festival of renowned singer Saif Samejo, Rs 10
million for the Pakistan International Film Festival, and like every year, Rs
30 million will be allocated for the Sindh Graduates Association this year too.
Rs 10 million for Tehzeeb
Foundation, Rs 26.8 million for Sindh Institute of Music and Performing Arts
Jamshoro, Rs 91 million for MH Panhwar Institute Jamshoro, Rs 250 million for
Gorakh Development Authority.
Only Rs 150 million has been
allocated for the Sindhi Language Authority, Hyderabad. Rs 170 million for the
Sindhi Adabi Board, Jamshoro, and surprisingly, Rs 200 million has been
allocated for the Sheikh Ayaz Chair at Shah Abdul Latif University, Khairpur,
while no amount has been allocated for the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Chairs at
Karachi University and Sindh University, Jamshoro.
On the other hand, no money has been
allocated in the budget for the Karachi Literature Festival and Lahoti Melo
Larkana this year. No money has been allocated in the budget for the famous NGO
"Hands". In the Sindh province budget 2026-27, the salaries and
pensions of government employees have been increased by only 7%.
While Sindh residents were expecting
higher salary increases, the minimum monthly wage has been increased to Rs
43,000 per month, especially in private institutions. The government does not
seem serious about implementing it, which is not benefiting employees in
private institutions.
Professional Profile: Ishak Soomro
Ishak Soomro is a highly experienced professional specializing as a Journalist, Research Associate, and Columnist with a distinguished career spanning 15 years
He possesses extensive expertise in multilingual communication and analysis, having written and contributed across three major languages: Sindhi, Urdu, and English
ishaksoomro@yahoo.com
