KARACHI — July 12, 2025: Despite massive public spending on poverty alleviation programs, rural Sindh continues to reel under the weight of chronic poverty and underdevelopment. Critics argue that poor oversight and weak implementation have rendered these initiatives largely ineffective — failing to uplift the province’s most vulnerable populations.
Official figures accessed by The Express Tribune reveal that the Sindh government has poured nearly Rs20 billion over the last five years into a single poverty eradication initiative. Yet, staggering levels of deprivation remain across much of rural Sindh — with at least 70% of the population in 10 districts still living below the poverty line.
Even more alarmingly, data from the Planning and Development Department’s Research and Training Wing shows that in five of these districts — Thatta, Sajawal, Kashmore, Badin, and Jacobabad — poverty levels surpass those in Tharparkar, long considered one of Sindh’s poorest regions. In these districts, more than 80% of residents are classified as poor according to the Multi-Dimensional Poverty Index.
The crisis runs deeper than just income levels. Malnutrition is rampant among women in these areas. While Tharparkar already reports high rates of nutritional deficiencies, the situation is even worse in the five districts mentioned above. According to the latest survey, 66% of women in Thatta and Jacobabad, 59% in Kashmore, 56% in Badin, and 51% in Sajawal are malnourished.
Children are no better off. The under-five mortality rate is particularly troubling. In Thatta, 15.6% of children die before reaching the age of five. Similarly, child mortality rates in Badin (11%), Kashmore (12.2%), and Sajawal (5.2%) paint a grim picture of maternal and child healthcare in the region.
Speaking to The Express Tribune, Dr. Sono Khanghrani, a board member of the Sindh Social Protection Authority, said the root of the problem lies in the state’s over-centralization. “As long as essential services like health, education, water, electricity, and employment remain monopolized by the government, meaningful change is unlikely,” he said. He emphasized the need for collaboration with NGOs and other stakeholders, especially in districts like Jacobabad and Kandhkot where law and order issues further obstruct development efforts.
Dr. Kaiser Bengali, a noted economist, echoed these concerns, highlighting the absence of effective monitoring mechanisms. “Take Sajawal, for example — an Rs4 billion poverty alleviation initiative, backed by international donors, was implemented there. But there was no measurable impact,” he noted. Ironically, the district is represented by Works and Services Minister Haji Ali Hassan Zardari, one of Sindh’s most influential political figures.
Sindh’s Finance Department data reveals that between 2012–13 and 2016–17, the provincial government spent over Rs20 billion — with World Bank and UN support — under its Accelerated Action Plan to fight malnutrition in 23 districts. An additional Rs10 billion was allocated to other social protection programs in the years that followed. Yet, malnutrition indicators barely budged.
In fact, they worsened. A report from the Planning and Development Department shows that despite a 112% increase in the nutrition budget between 2018 and 2019 — from Rs2.4 billion to Rs5.1 billion — the number of stunted children rose from 48% in 2014–15 to 50.2% by 2018–19.
In 2022, the provincial government restructured its approach by forming a dedicated Department of Social Protection, which replaced the previous Social Protection Unit under the Chief Minister’s Secretariat. The new department received Rs15.43 billion in its inaugural year, which was later increased to Rs16.9 billion in the 2023–24 budget.
Yet, experts remain skeptical. Without systemic reform, improved accountability, and partnerships beyond government control, the billions being funneled into social safety nets may continue to yield little more than paper progress.
