Karachi (HRNW)- The third meeting of the Sindh Social Protection Authority Board was held under the chairmanship of Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, in which important decisions were taken to further expand the scope of social protection in the province. The meeting was attended by provincial ministers Dr. Azra Pechuho, Saeed Ghani, Sardar Shah, Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary, Chairman P&D, Secretary Finance, Secretary Social Protection, CEO Sindh Social Protection Authority and other senior officers.
Addressing the meeting, the Sindh Chief Minister said that these steps are very important for poverty alleviation and human resource development. He directed to further expand social protection programs across the province. The meeting approved new cash assistance for 885,000 children and rural women, while a major project of Rs 14 billion was also approved for Early Childhood Development (ECD).
According to the decision, children from birth to 5 years will be given Rs 3,000 quarterly, while monitoring of children’s nutritional needs, educational readiness and health will also be ensured. It was also decided to provide monthly financial assistance to rural women during “non-productive periods”, which aims to protect them from financial pressure and food insecurity.
The meeting was informed that the “Mamta Program” is active in 22 districts and more than 1 million people are benefiting from it, while a total of Rs 56 billion is being spent on social protection programs. Furthermore, a new hybrid payment model was approved for timely payment to mothers, while full and partial financial assistance was also approved for pregnancy and young children. The meeting also decided to extend the program to backward areas of Karachi and Hyderabad, include seven new districts, and establish “Mamta Desks” in district and taluka hospitals.
Approval was also given to establish audit, human rights, legal and investigative committees for transparency, while a budget of Rs 2.29 billion was approved for the new fiscal year 2026-27. The Sindh Chief Minister said that the government is committed to empowering vulnerable groups, especially women and children, and is taking health, nutrition and financial stability together.
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