Early relief: Sindh govt to pay salaries and pensions ahead of time

Early relief Sindh govt to pay salaries and pensions ahead of time

The Sindh government has decided to release salaries, pensions and other payments to government employees ahead of the usual schedule. Under the new arrangement, government employees will receive their monthly salaries on the 25th of each month instead of the 1st. Likewise, retired government employees will receive their pensions on the 26th of each month, replacing the previous payment date of the 1st, according to media reports.

The move is aimed at ensuring the timely disbursement of payments and providing greater financial convenience to employees and pensioners across the province. Supplementary payroll payments will be made on the 29th of every month. GP Fund and other payments will be processed between the 6th and 16th and on the 20th of each month.

The Accountant General of Sindh has issued an official notification in this regard, directing all departments and institutions to submit their payroll bills and payment schedules to the Accountant General Sindh Office within the prescribed timeframe.

The budget deficit is expected to be Rs 36.9 billion, while revenue has been estimated at Rs 3.562 trillion. The Sindh budget is based on four key principles: constitutional rights, fiscal sustainability, national stability, and public welfare. In coordination with the federal government, the development portfolio has been reduced from Rs 575 billion to Rs 400 billion. Sindh’s share under the NFC Award has been secured in consultation with the federation.

It is worth mentioning here that the Sindh Chief Minister, Murad Ali Shah, had presented a budget of Rs 3.562 trillion for the next fiscal year 2026–27, proposing a 7 percent increase both in salaries and pensions of government employees, along with allocations of Rs 620 billion for education and Rs 393 billion for health, while the minimum monthly wage has been set at Rs 43,000.

The Chief Minister of Sindh announced a special relief package for the education, agriculture, insurance, and employment sectors. He said that the sales tax on educational support services has been reduced to 5 per cent. An amount of Rs 13.2 billion has been allocated for the social protection package, which includes initiatives such as kitchen gardens, the Benazir Hari Card, and the Benazir Women Agriculture Workers Program. Under this package, assistance schemes for widows and orphans will also continue.

Concessionary tax rates will remain in place for beauty salons and overseas employment recruiting agencies linked with Point of Sale (POS) systems.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, while announcing reductions in taxes on insurance agents and brokers, said that the exemption threshold for the agricultural super tax has been increased from Rs 150 million to Rs 500 million, and the tax rate has been reduced from 10 per cent to 8 per cent. The size of the Annual Development Program (ADP) for the new fiscal year has been set at Rs 400 billion, with the highest allocation of Rs 121.6 billion earmarked for local government and municipal infrastructure.

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