E-Paper
SGPC passes ₹1138.14 crore budget, sees 17% growth in revenue
Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) General House on Tuesday passed a separate budget for Haryana gurdwaras
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) General House on Tuesday passed a budget of ₹1138.14 crore, an increase of 17%, for the financial year 2023-24.
The annual budget was presented by general secretary Gurcharan Singh Grewal and passed at a session held at SGPC headquarters at Teja Singh Samundri Hall, with a few members taking exceptions to some of the announcements.
With an increase in revenue, the SGPC earnings, it seems, are back to normal after three years of the pandemic. In the last three years, the SGPC budget shrunk to ₹981 crore (2019-20), ₹912 crore (2020-21) and ₹988 crore (2021-22). For 2018-19, the SGPC had passed a budget of ₹1205 crore. For the first time, the budget of Haryana gurdwaras was passed separately, with SGPC earmarking ₹57 crore.
“Although the management of Haryana gurdwaras was forcibly taken from the SGPC at the behest of the Haryana government, still the SGPC has kept a budget as Haryana gurdwaras are still notified under the spirit of the Sikh Gurdwara Act 1925, and the government should return its management to the representative SGPC,” SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami said. Out of the total budget, ₹855 crore have been allocated for gurdwaras, Dhami added.
Focus on religious preaching, education
₹1 crore has been earmarked for Nishchai Civil Services Coaching Academy, while ₹7.09 crore will be spent for establishing Sikh Prachar Centre abroad. The budget also provides ₹4.72 crore for installing solar plants at gurdwaras, ₹24 crore for building new sarais (inns) associated with the Golden Temple, ₹1.80 crore have been kept aside for panthic matters and litigations, ₹3.69 crore for Dharam Arth Fund and Panthic Welfare Fund, ₹1.11 crore for natural calamities, ₹1.70 crore for the education of Sikh students, the budget document said.
Heated exchanges between members
Members of the opposition were also given chance to air their views during the session leading to heated arguments. SGPC member Jaswant Singh Purain pointed out that the SGPC has allocated no funds in the budget for launching its TV channel for the live telecast gurbani from the Golden Temple, despite Akal Takht jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh directing it to do so. SGPC members Mithu Singh Kahneke and Amrik Singh Shahpur were stopped from raising questions on the budget and recalling the episode of pardoning Dera Sirsa head Gurmeet Ram Rahim by Akal Takht, respectively. Akal Takht acting jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh was not present during the meeting.
BOX: Resolutions passed on Sikh issues
SGPC condemned the recent crackdown on Amritpal Singh and his associates. It said that the Sikh youths, who are arrested, would be provided legal aid
SGPC to take legal action against government officials, who falsely propagated the flags and symbols related to the period of Khalsa Raj (rule) as those of separatists
SGPC sought strict legal action against social media platforms and individuals for distorting Sikh history and character assassination of Sikhs.
It condemned discrimination against Punjab and Sikhs in the Army, Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), Chandigarh, universities, etc
A resolution was passed against the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Act 2014 and it is demanded that it should be repealed
The issue of Bandi Singhs (Sikh prisoners) was also raised in a resolution
