The Sindh government is all set to unveil the provincial budget for 2024-25 today after Friday prayers. Sources claim that the provincial government will announce a higher increase in government employees’ salaries than what was announced by the federal government.
According to these sources, the Sindh budget will prioritize employees’ welfare, with the provincial government deciding to implement a 30% salary increase, making the budget tax-free. Additionally, it has been reported that the Sindh government plans to create over 50,000 new jobs in sectors such as education, police, and energy, alongside the proposed salary increase for government employees.
The budget session of the Sindh Assembly will commence after Friday prayers, during which Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, who also serves as the provincial finance minister, will present the budget. Energy Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah has stated that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government aims to provide relief to the salaried class and the poor in this budget. He further mentioned that both President Asif Ali Zardari and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto advocate for salary increases to be proportionate to inflation.
The budget’s priorities, as outlined by Bilawal Bhutto, include providing water facilities, low-cost electricity, and avoiding the imposition of new taxes.
In the previous fiscal year, the Sindh government approved a budget of Rs2.25 trillion for 2023-24. This budget proposed a significant salary increase aligned with the federal budget and a substantially higher development expenditure of Rs700 billion, accounting for 31% of the total outlay.
