KARACHI: The Sindh cabinet on Tuesday approved the Sindh Agriculture Women Workers Rules, under which equal wages and maternity facilities will be provided to women farm workers.
Briefing journalists about the decisions taken in the cabinet meeting, Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said that legal measures had also been included to protect women from harassment and discrimination, and such a measure is being taken for the first time in Pakistan.
The cabinet also approved the issuance of the Benazir Women Agriculture Workers Card, while an endowment fund of Rs 500 million will be established for the welfare of women workers, he said.
He said that it is the responsibility of the government to empower women and provide them with complete protection, adding that no work at this level has been done for women before.
Approves Benazir Women Agriculture Workers Card; digital system to monitor student attendance, tackle absenteeism to be implemented across Sindh in one year
The rules have been developed with technical assistance from the International Labour Organisation.
The senior minister said that the rules formally recognised women’s contributions in farming, livestock and fisheries, ensuring equal wages, maternity benefits and protection against harassment and discrimination.
Digital attendance system for students
The cabinet also approved the Student Attendance Monitoring and Redress System (SAMRS) Policy, a technology-based initiative designed to address student absenteeism and rising dropout rates.
Mr Memon said the policy introduced a mobile application and digital dashboard to track enrolment and daily attendance across schools managed by the Sindh Education and Literacy Department, Sindh Education Foundation, and education management organisations.
He said that the system would also identify risk factors affecting attendance and introduce interventions such as counselling and peer support. “The programme is expected to be implemented in all schools across Sindh within one year,” he added.
Following consultations with the business community, the cabinet approved the Sindh Development and Maintenance of Infrastructure Cess (Second Amendment) Act, 2026, along with a revised Settlement Agreement (March 2026).
The senior minister said that the amendments aimed to streamline the collection and utilisation of the cess, which funds the development and maintenance of industrial and transport infrastructure across the province.
The cabinet approved the expansion of the wheat release policy to include private traders, in addition to flour mills and chakkis to stabilise the wheat price.
Under the policy, he said, licensed traders will receive wheat at the government-notified rate of Rs8,000 per 100-kg bag. “Around 300,115 metric tons of wheat are currently available for release, which could generate Rs30.398 billion in sales and help reduce the province’s wheat debt of Rs109.405bn,” he added.
The cabinet approved the allotment of four acres of state land in Deh Khanto, Taluka Ibrahim Hyderi, District Malir, for the establishment of a nursing school attached to the Hasan Suleman Memorial Hospital.
In addition, the cabinet approved $7.6 million (approximately Rs2.14bn) in financial support for the hospital following an expansion of its covered area from 250,000 to 325,000 square feet and a rise in construction costs.
The 312-bed tertiary care hospital, located on the National Highway (N-5), will provide specialised healthcare services to residents of Karachi and surrounding districts. The CM said that the funding will be released from the 2026-27 fiscal year, subject to a matching contribution by the Hasan Suleman Foundation.
Institutional, judicial appointments
Several appointments and extensions were approved to strengthen key institutions, including Justice (Retd) Irshad Ali Shah appointed as chairperson of the Sindh Revenue Board Appellate Tribunal.
The cabinet also approved appointments of presiding officers for Anti-Terrorism Courts, including Advocate Irshad Dharejo for ATC Kashmore at Kandhkot, Advocate Aijaz Chandio for ATC Naushehro Feroze, and Ayaz Hussain Marri for ATC Dadu.
Published in Dawn, March 11th, 2026