KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah presided over a provincial cabinet meeting on Tuesday, which approved local government reform; a comprehensive survey and digital mapping of around 1.61 million acres of Katcha land across the province; endorsed support package for small wheat growers; extended tax and registration incentives for electric vehicles until 2028; and several measures to strengthen wheat reserves, public-private partnerships, and digital governance.
The meeting, held at the CM House, was attended by provincial ministers, advisers, special assistants and relevant officers.
The cabinet discussed a package of amendments to the Sindh Local Government Act, 2013, aimed at improving institutional efficiency, accountability, continuity of elected councils and municipal service delivery.
The proposed amendments include initiating the local government election process 120 days before expiry of a council’s term; allowing the outgoing Mayor or Chairman to continue as Administrator if elections are delayed; introducing a two-thirds majority requirement for a vote of no-confidence against Union Council and Union Committee Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen; and assigning the Deputy Mayor or Vice-Chairman the role of Convenor.
The package also provides for mapping of public-service infrastructure, designation of the chief executive of Karachi and future metropolitan corporations as Metropolitan Commissioner, and establishment of Reconciliation Forums at Union, Town and Municipal Committee levels for amicable settlement of community disputes.
After deliberations, the CM constituted a sub-committee comprising Sharjeel Memon, Nasir Shah, Saeed Ghani, Ziaul Hassan Lanjar, Jam Khan Shoro, Advisor Najmi Alam and Special Assistant Saleem Baloch to review the proposed amendments and submit recommendations before their referral to the Sindh Assembly.
PFC consultant engaged
The cabinet approved the engagement of Dr Ashraf Wasti as an individual consultant for six months to provide technical assistance in preparing the forthcoming Provincial Finance Commission Award.
The consultant will support fiscal analysis, resource-allocation modelling, review of previous awards and stakeholder consultations for a fairer distribution of provincial resources between the government and local councils.
The cabinet gave particular attention to support for wheat growers ahead of the Rabi 2026-27 season. It considered proposals of the Agriculture Department for targeted DAP subsidy to small farmers, with enhanced assistance for growers who had supplied their wheat to the Sindh Food Department.
The cabinet was informed that the indicative retail price of DAP had been worked out at around Rs17,904 per bag, while the federal government had proposed a subsidy of Rs3,500 per bag, equivalent to about 20 per cent of the indicative price.
The cabinet decided that farmers who had sold wheat to the Sindh Food Department would receive additional subsidy as an incentive for participating in government procurement, while other eligible small growers would also be covered under the support programme.
The cabinet also approved the opening of new registration and revalidation of existing growers under the Sindh Wheat Growers Support Programme. The process will incorporate digital verification and landholding validation to eliminate duplicate, ineligible and fictitious beneficiaries.
The Agriculture Department informed the cabinet that under the previous support programme, Rs 27.336 billion in DAP subsidy was disbursed to 333,127 growers, while Rs 14.428 billion in Urea subsidy was provided to 314,317 growers. The programme contributed to an increase in wheat cultivation from 3.086 million to 3.880 million acres and production from 3.543 million to 4.913 million tonnes during 2025-26.
The cabinet also reviewed proposals concerning the Minimum Support/ Indicative Price for the upcoming wheat crop and directed that the recommendations of the subcommittee be presented in the next cabinet.
The cabinet approved procurement of 223,455 metric tonnes of wheat from PASSCO along with transportation arrangements. Of the quantity, 130,000 tonnes will be transported to Karachi, more than 30,000 tonnes to Hyderabad/ Jamshoro, while stocks already available in PASSCO godowns at Shaheed Benazirabad and Sanghar will be retained for the requirements of Shaheed Benazirabad and Mirpurkhas divisions.
The cabinet was informed that Rs23.136 billion had already been released for wheat procurement and Rs2 billion for transportation.
It also approved procurement of 0.3 million tonnes of imported wheat through TCP and authorised a tripartite agreement among the Ministry of National Food Security & Research, TCP and the Government of Sindh.
The cabinet approved advance payments through commodity financing arrangements with Sindh Bank, procurement of PP bags and a revised port-lifting target of 5,000 tonnes per day. The cabinet Sub-Committee on Food was authorised to approve the final landed cost of imported wheat before any additional financial commitment.
The CM said the measures were aimed at ensuring uninterrupted wheat availability, maintaining strategic reserves and safeguarding food security in the province.
The cabinet approved the Board of Revenue’s proposal to undertake a comprehensive Survey of Katcha Land in Sindh through the Survey of Pakistan on a government-to-government basis for Rs 705 million.
The survey will cover 613 Dehs across Hyderabad, Sukkur, Larkana and Shaheed Benazirabad divisions, encompassing approximately 1.61 million acres of Katcha land.
The Board of Revenue informed the cabinet that the project had received in-principle approval on March 31, 2026. An agreement between the Board of Revenue and Survey of Pakistan was subsequently signed in July, but the proposal was brought back to the cabinet following Finance Department advice because the 15.5-month project would extend into the financial year 2026-27.
The survey will comprise satellite imagery, GIS mapping, geodetic control, cadastral and parcel-level mapping, geo-tagging of land use, boundary demarcation and collection of ownership and land-use data.
Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said accurate mapping of Katcha lands was essential for transparent land administration, environmental protection, effective planning and curbing illegal occupation. He directed the Board of Revenue and Survey of Pakistan to complete the exercise within the stipulated timeframe while ensuring accuracy and transparency.
EV incentives extended to May 2028
The cabinet approved a two-year extension of tax and registration incentives for non-commercial electric vehicles from May 30, 2026 to May 29, 2028.
Under the approved package, the registration fee for non-commercial EVs will remain at Rs1,000, while annual motor vehicle tax will be Rs500. A luxury tax of Rs5,000 will apply to EVs equivalent to 2000cc and above, while electric motorcycles will be subject to a one-time lifetime motor vehicle tax of Rs500. The late-registration penalty has been fixed at Rs1,000.
The CM said the incentives were aimed at accelerating the transition towards clean transportation, reducing carbon emissions and improving urban air quality.
The cabinet approved amendments to the Sindh Secretariat Instructions, 2014, to formally incorporate e-DAFTAR and e-Cabinet into the government’s official working system.
The cabinet was informed that e-DAFTAR would replace paper-based file movement and processing with a digital system covering correspondence, approvals, noting, summaries, notifications, orders and document archiving. The system is being prepared for rollout in 10 departments, while a test run is already underway in the General Administration Wing.
The CM stressed the need to move government business towards paperless, transparent and technology-enabled decision-making.
PPP Unit to be restructured as government-owned company
The cabinet approved the Sindh Public-Private Partnership (Second Amendment) Bill, 2026, enabling restructuring of the existing PPP Unit into a wholly government-owned private limited company, to be called Sindh PPP (Private) Limited.
The amendments provide for transfer of the existing unit’s functions, powers, staff, contracts, records and ongoing proceedings to the new company. The restructuring is intended to improve operational efficiency, strengthen departmental PPP capacity and accelerate project delivery.
The cabinet approved allotment of state land at Hyderabad, Umerkot and Mirpurkhas to the Intelligence Bureau on 99-year leases for establishing its offices.
It also constituted a committee headed by Mukesh Chawla, with Rajvir Singh and Sham Sundar as members, to examine the request for reservation/allotment of three acres of government land around Churio Temple in Tharparkar for facilities including a boundary wall, security arrangements, access roads, pilgrims’ accommodation, parking, drinking water and sanitation. The land will be allotted after the committee submits its report.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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