Sindh Poverty Reduction Strategy.

This Sindh Poverty Reduction Strategy （PRS）is a cross-sectoral policy document at provincial level. The PRS is aimed to act as medium-term instrument to address the challenge of poverty in Sindh and to have a specific focus on Community Driven Local Development (CDLD). The PRS includes three main strategies: Strategy One - Community-Driven Local Development, the Foundation; Strategy Two – Addressing Urban Poverty; Strategy Three – Rural Growth Centres.
The Policy seeks to contribute to the attainment of SDGs in Sindh, including: Zero Hunger, Good Health and Wellbeing, and Clean Water and Sanitation.
The Policy seeks to reduce rural poverty. Three key poverty reduction overarching principles are identified in the Policy: 1. Agglomeration is the key to rapid growth – hence growth centres are seen to be critical in poverty reduction as well. 2. A catalytic approach is needed to prioritize sectors and interventions, so as to reap maximum benefits beyond project periods and sustainability of the interventions in poverty reduction. 3. For poverty reduction to be successful, communities must be engaged in their own development. Under Strategy Three – Rural Growth Centres, the Policy proposes the establishment of rural growth centres (RGCs) or service hubs, to provide improved facilities and services to clusters of surrounding villages. Improved access to educational and health services could be provided via consolidated services located at the hub, along with other community services and better facilities to support agribusiness in the area. Under the Strategy of Community Driven Local Development, potential policy actions are proposed, including: The Government of Sindh formally adopts the PRS and CDLD Policy, to include institutionalisation and mainstreaming of CDLD within GoS programmes and approaches; The Government recognises the social capital created at community level through social mobilisation; Facilitati on of services to communities by leveraging the institutional structures created through social mobilisation; The GoS endorses the Joint Development Committees as a mechanism to bring together representatives of district and local government, line departments and community representatives; Commitment to implementation of the PRS and CDLD policy through a Government-community-based organisations partnership model and approach; etc. Strategy Two – Addressing Urban Poverty involves focusing on increasing employment opportunities and enterprise development in the small towns within the rural districts of Sindh.
The Policy promotes to enable more inclusive and efficient agricultural and food systems. Rural hubs may include commercial centre to support local agri-based businesses and services, for: storage of inputs (seed, fertilizer, etc.) and distribution centres for outputs, sheds/yards for trading/marketing of grain, livestock, and other commodities, milk collection point and chilling plant, small cold storage, agricultural equipment repair and maintenance facilities, etc.