Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has written a letter to the Prime Minister regarding the non-release of funds for 19 development projects under federal management. In the letter, the Chief Minister stated that despite multiple requests, funds for development projects have not been released.
The letter pointed out that instead of completing the projects with 100% federal funding as approved by ECNEC (Executive Committee of the National Economic Council), only 50% federal funding was approved. Previously, 100% funding for these projects was included in the PSDP (Public Sector Development Programme).
The Chief Minister urged the federal government to reconsider the 50-50 federal and provincial funding arrangement.
Referring to the federal funds received, the Chief Minister mentioned that during the fiscal year 2020-21, only 2.47 billion rupees were provided for 10 projects worth 124 billion. In the fiscal year 2021-22, only 4.19 billion rupees were released for 9 projects worth 111 billion. Similarly, during the fiscal year 2022-23, 3.29 billion rupees were allocated for 14 projects worth 99 billion, and in the fiscal year 2023-24, only 1.08 billion rupees were released for 19 projects worth 159 billion.
The Sindh Chief Minister expressed concerns that no development funds have been released by the federal government in the current fiscal year either. The delay in fund releases is increasing the cost of development projects.
In his letter, Murad Ali Shah requested the Prime Minister to instruct the Ministry of Planning to release the development funds.
Sindh Chief Minister appeals to Prime Minister to restore funding for Sindh's public universities
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has made an urgent appeal to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to restore and increase funding for Sindh’s public universities. In his letter, he expressed deep concern over the decision to restrict funding for public universities only to federal institutions, which he emphasized is a matter of great concern. This decision has placed a significant burden on Sindh’s universities, negatively affecting the educational outcomes of students and hindering the overall development of the province.
In the letter, the Chief Minister highlighted that the Sindh government has demonstrated its unwavering commitment to higher education by allocating a substantial grant of 22 billion rupees for the current fiscal year through the Sindh Higher Education Commission (HEC). However, with the recent decision to halt provincial university funding, combined with the drastic reduction of the Federal HEC budget from 65 billion rupees to 25 billion rupees, the situation is becoming dire, with long-term consequences.
Murad Ali Shah further stated that by exclusively reserving federal funds for federal universities, provincial universities are left in a precarious situation, facing the difficult choice of either increasing student fees or cutting essential services to cover the funding shortfall.
In closing, the Chief Minister urged the Prime Minister, saying, "We eagerly await your positive response to this matter of public importance."
It is worth noting that a few days ago, Dr. Tariq Rafi, Chairman of Sindh HEC, had requested the Sindh Chief Minister in a letter to approach the Prime Minister for the restoration and increase of grants for the province’s universities.
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