KARACHI   -  Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has issued detailed guidelines to all government departments for the formulation of the Annual Devel­opment Program (ADP) 2025-26 in preparation for the upcoming fiscal year. The directive, issued through the Planning & Development (P&D) department, emphasises the impor­tance of aligning with the prevailing economic conditions, federal policies, and the development agenda of the Sindh government. Mr. Shah stated that the ADP is designed to focus on sectoral priorities and socio-economic impact while adhering to both federal and provincial government guide­lines. He instructed each department to ensure that the pro­posed projects align with the government’s development strategy and contribute to mea­surable socio-econom­ic outcomes.

Under the directives of the Chief Minister, departments are required to adhere to the comprehensive guidelines provided by the federal government’s Public Sector Develop­ment Program (PSDP), which is still pending. They should also follow the specific instructions issued by the CM. The CM has instructed that the initial edition of the ADP should be prepared based on sectoral pri­orities and implementation capacity within a budget size to be outlined in the Budget Strategy Paper (BSP). The final allocation will be deter­mined based on the availability of funds from the Finance Department. The CM’s guidelines emphasize that 80 per cent of the total development budget should be allocated to ongo­ing schemes. He stated, “schemes ex­pected to be completed by June 2025 must be finalized according to the original plan period.” Additionally, for projects that have already utilized over 70 per cent of their total cost, departments are directed to allocate the remaining funds for completion in FY 2025-26. 

The chief minister emphasised that provincial departments must ensure counterpart funds for projects sup­ported by international development partners. Furthermore, the ADP port­folio must be adjusted to address the aftermath of the 2022 floods, focus­ing on recovery and socio-economic revival. Acknowledging the financial constraints, Shah encouraged depart­ments to identify new projects that can be implemented under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model. He stated, “New schemes should align with sectoral development strate­gies and national goals, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Climate Change Poli­cy Framework.” The CM emphasised using the latest data sources, includ­ing the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), Population Census, and MICS, to establish baselines for new projects and set quantifiable targets. Shah instructed all the departments to start the approval process for new schemes in October 2024, aiming at completing it by March 2025 to en­sure their inclusion in the ADP. “Each department must provide a bar chart timeline for major projects, especial­ly those scheduled for completion in FY 2025-26,” he said.