• Edhi Foundation to contribute $10m, provincial govt to provide $7m grant for 13-storey, 445-bed facility
• Rs16bn wheat support package okayed for growers with landholdings of up to 25 acres

KARACHI: The Sindh cabinet on Thursday approved the construction of a 13-storey, 445-bed Bilquis & Abdul Sattar Edhi Medical Tower at the National Institute of Child Health (NICH) at a cost of $17 million under a public-private partnership with the Abdul Sattar Edhi Foundation.

Of the total cost, the Edhi Foundation will contribute $10m, and the provincial government will provide a $7m Grant-in-Aid, to be released in two equal instalments during 2026-27 and 2027-28.

The decision was taken in a cabinet meeting chaired by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and was attended, among others, by provincial ministers, advisers, special assistants, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah and senior officials.

The cabinet also approved the formation of a supervisory committee for the project, headed by Faisal Edhi, to oversee implementation, ensure financial transparency and monitor the utilisation of government funds.

A statement issued after the meeting by the CM House said the cabinet considered 23 agenda items and took major decisions aimed at strengthening farmer support, modernising land administration, expanding healthcare infrastructure and improving institutional governance.

Rs16bn package for wheat growers

The cabinet approved an enhanced support package of around Rs16 billion for wheat growers with landholdings of up to 25 acres, on the recommendations of a ministerial sub-committee headed by Agriculture Minister Muhammad Khan Bux Mahar.

Under the approved mechanism, eligible growers will receive a flat subsidy for the purchase of DAP fertiliser or an approved substitute, while those supplying wheat to the Food Department will get an additional subsidy increased from Rs1,000 to Rs2,000 per maund.

The chief minister told the meeting that the package was expected to benefit around 550,000 wheat growers across Sindh.

The cabinet was informed that 56,741 farmers had supplied more than 2.04m maunds of wheat from 413,507 acres to the Food Department during the last procurement season.

The base subsidy package is estimated at Rs14.9bn, while the enhanced procurement incentive could take the overall allocation to approximately Rs16bn, subject to final verification.

The CM directed that growers owning up to 25 acres be freshly registered under the Sindh Wheat Growers Support Programme.

Existing beneficiaries will be revalidated through the Revenue Department, while new applicants will be registered through an upgraded digital platform designed to eliminate duplicate and ineligible entries. Payments will be transferred directly through Sindh Bank into beneficiaries’ Benazir Hari Card accounts.

The decision on the wheat support price for 2026-27 was deferred to allow the completion of consultations.

Blockchain-based land transfer

The cabinet approved the launch of a Digitalisation and e-Transfer of Title System in three pilot dehs — Matiari and Palijani in Matiari district and Deh Bagerji in Sukkur district.

Developed by Sukkur IBA University in collaboration with the Board of Revenue, the IT-based system was ready after the 100 per cent digitisation of manual records. It will provide a secure, faceless and one-window mechanism for electronic transfer of land titles, replacing the existing process of document registration followed by mutation.

The system has been integrated with the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), National Database and Registration Authority and the Sindh e-Stamping system. All khatedars will have free access to their land records through a secure online portal and will be able to sell, purchase, gift or otherwise transfer property electronically without the need for a separate sale certificate. A single physical visit will be required only for biometric verification.

Peoples Service Centres in all districts will facilitate landowners, with additional centres to be set up at taluka level where needed. A Property Card for each property will also be generated.

To facilitate the pilot, the cabinet approved three legal instruments relating to the Transfer of Property Act, 1882, the Sindh Registration Act, 1908, and the Sindh e-Conveyance Rules, 2026.

Other decisions

The cabinet approved the draft Sindh Criminal Prosecution Service (Constitution, Functions and Powers) (Amendment) Bill, 2026, abolishing direct recruitment to Deputy District Public Prosecutor (BS-18), District Public Prosecutor (BS-19), Deputy Prosecutor General (BS-18) and Additional Prosecutor General (BS-19), which will now be filled through promotion.

It also approved the Sindh Sports Policy under the vision of “Sports for All,” providing for talent identification, revival of physical education, divisional sports cities, district sports complexes, taluka multipurpose facilities, sports hostels, academies, sports science and anti-doping facilities, job quotas and stipends.

The cabinet approved amendments to the Sindh Institute of Teacher Education Act, 2025, enabling time-bound delegation of powers to private partners under PPP mode and the Qalandar Shahbaz University of Modern Sciences (Amendment) Bill, 2026, relocating the university from Tando Muhammad Khan to Karachi and expanding its scope to Artificial Intelligence, Data Analytics, Robotics and Sustainable Sciences.

The cabinet ratified an infrastructure cess exemption of Rs555.13m for the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation on 154 consignments of medical equipment valued at about Rs30.07bn cleared between May and September 2026, and approved a 99-year lease of 20,000 sq ft in Deh Sonwalhar, Taluka Kotri, near District Headquarters Complex, Jamshoro, for the Intelligence Bureau office.

On taxation, the cabinet decided that restoration of Advance Tax on Motor Vehicles and Capital Value Tax collection would remain subject to the realisation of Rs10bn in outstanding refund from the FBR.

The cabinet reviewed the federally funded PM Fuel Relief Scheme 2026, providing relief of Rs100 per litre — up to 5 litres per week and 20 litres per month for two- and three-wheelers and up to 10 litres every 10 days and 30 litres a month for private cars up to 800cc — through SMS registration to 9771 and voucher redemption via the Fuel Pass App.

Sindh’s eligible base is around 6.76 million vehicles, including 5.51 million motorcycles, with the potential federal relief of Rs14.43bn per month for the province.

Published in Dawn, September 18th, 2026