KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah vowed that the Annual Development Programme (ADP) for the province in the upcoming budget will be welfare-oriented with schemes focusing on containing the pandemic, reviving the economy, reducing poverty, and empowering women. Shah, who has retained the finance portfolio himself, made the remarks over a meeting he chaired to finalise the ADP for the financial year 2021-22 at the CM House. The meeting was attended by provincial ministers, Chief Secretary Mumtaz Shah, Chairperson Planning and Development Shireen Narejo, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister (PSCM) Sajid Jamal Abro, Finance Secretary Hassan Naqvi and secretaries of different departments. The chief minister, while giving the final touch ups to the next ADP, directed all departments to complete those on-going schemes for which they have received 100% funding. “The schemes on which 50% funds have been utilised would be given priority for completion in the next budget,” said Shah. He said that the pandemic has hit the economy hard, therefore poverty has increased. “We will launch community development programmes to reduce poverty, and relief will be given to small businessmen for revival of their business,” Shah assured the meeting’s participants. Talking about the upcoming projects, the chief minister said that they would establish infectious disease hospitals in other divisional headquarters as well by allocating funds for it in the upcoming budget. He said that in the rural areas, apart from development of agriculture sector, schemes would be launched to promote fisheries and livestock development. Murad directed all the departments to sit with Planning and Development Department to finalise their development priorities so that the portfolio could be finalised for budget 2021-22.
