Murad approves new social protection measures

KARACHI: Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Wednesday approved a set of new measures to widen social protection coverage in Sindh, with decisions covering maternal and child welfare, support for women working in agriculture, and changes to the province’s social protection delivery system.

The approvals were made during the third board meeting of the Sindh Social Protection Authority (SSPA), which was attended by senior provincial ministers and officials. According to the details shared from the meeting, the board cleared a new Early Childhood Development (ECD) programme for 885,000 children, seasonal cash assistance for women in the agriculture sector, and reforms to the Sindh Social Protection Delivery System (SSPDSS), including changes linked to the Mamta programme.

Mamta programme review

During the meeting, the board reviewed progress on the Mamta Programme Sindh, which is currently operating in 22 districts with a budget of Rs56 billion. The board said more than one million beneficiaries have been registered under the programme.

To facilitate timely disbursements and reduce financial strain on low-income families, the board approved a Hybrid Predictable Payment Model (PPM). Under this arrangement, mothers will continue to receive scheduled cash transfers even if health visits are delayed slightly.

The board also approved full cash payments for pregnant women or for their youngest child. In addition, it allowed 75 per cent of the conditional cash transfer amount for older children below the age of two, a step aimed at extending support to a wider number of vulnerable households.

Early childhood and rural women support

The chief minister also approved two fresh initiatives intended to address longer-term poverty and human development concerns. One of them is a Rs14 billion ECD project that will be implemented with support from KfW Development Bank.

Under the programme, caregivers of children up to five years of age will receive Rs3,000 per quarter. The support is tied to growth monitoring, nutrition counselling and school readiness.

The meeting’s decisions also included seasonal cash assistance for women in the agriculture sector, as part of the broader effort to expand the provincial social safety net and improve support for vulnerable groups in rural areas.

The measures approved at the SSPA board meeting form part of the Sindh government’s wider push to strengthen welfare delivery, improve maternal and child support, and broaden the reach of social protection programmes across the province.