A wash-rinse-repeat exercise.

A TAX-FREE, Covid-19-centric Rs1.2 trillion Sindh budget appears to be a relatively sensible and compassionate response to the current distressful situation, which is deepening the health challenge and compounding livelihood/food security risks.

However, the historical baggage of corruption, political biases and underperformance failed to rekindle hope or generate much goodwill, particularly in the business community.

Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah who also holds the finance portfolio was hardly audible during his speech in the Sindh Assembly as the opposition Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) and the PTl hooted throughout the session.

Besides the disruption induced by the pandemic, Mr Shah highlighted the threat to food security due to the locust attack over a vast area under cultivation in the province.Current expenditures of Rs969.9 billion command almost 81 per cent of the total budget.

About Rs39.2bn (3pc) is reserved for current capital expenditures while the remaining 16pc is earmarked for Rs232bn Annual Development Plan (ADP). In the current year, the focus of development efforts is on social services with about one-fifth or Rs44.5bn earmarked for health and education. The size of total development spending has been chopped by 19pc from last year citing the financial crunch.

The priority has been given to schemes nearing completion, especially in transport infrastructure and the provision of drinking water besides social protection, irrigation and the supply of affordable inputs for the agriculture sector.

To provide relief, Mr Shah proposed a salary increase of 10pc for government employees and a social protection and economic sustainabilitypackage of Rs34.2bn for the marginalised population bearing the brunt of the lockdown. An amount of Rs440 million has been set aside for locust control.

The Sindh budget, which was an opportunity for the ruling party to incrementally implement its economic vision, did not even mention the 2018 agriculture policy, business revival strategy or sustainable development goals (SDGs). If the budget had shown any progress on devolving power further down, it would have earned the PPP a high moral ground to wage a better fight against the federal government`s attempts to roll back the gains of the 18th Amendments and the 7th NFC Award.

Steps to check the pilferage of public funds are also missing from the budget.

Some tangible measures aimed at moving towards a leaner and cleaner government would have...