Rs 993-cr SGPC budget focuses on education, propagation

Perneet Singh

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, March 30

The SGPC today presented its budget of Rs 993.23 crore for the fiscal year 2015-16 with focus on the propagation of religion, promoting education and construction of more ‘sarais’ (inns). The budget amount is around 10 per cent higher as compared to last year’s budget of Rs 905 crore.

This is the fourth successive year when the budget could not be presented and approved in the SGPC general house as the fate of the new house continues to hang in balance over the Sehajdhari row. The budget was thus once again passed by the SGPC executive committee.

The budget was presented by general secretary Sukhdev Singh Bhaur. It was approved by committee members led by SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar. In the budget, Rs 603.84 crore was allocated for managing the affairs of gurdwara falling under Section 85, which is up by Rs 43.33 crore as compared to Rs 560.51 crore last year. The SGPC-run educational institutions have got Rs 182.21 crore, which is also up by Rs 28.21 crore. Another Rs 59 crore has been allocated to the General Board Fund, Rs 5 crore more than last year; Rs 43.13 crore to the Trust Fund, Rs 5.33 crore higher, Rs 31 crore for the education fund against last year’s Rs 29.25 crore, Rs 67 crore to the Dharam Parchar Committee, up by Rs 4 crore, Rs 7.05 crore for printing presses as compared to Rs 6.4 crore last year.

Makkar said they had bought the screening rights of film “Chaar Sahibzade” which would be exhibited free of cost to propagate Sikhism. He said they were constructing 13 more schools and colleges while stating that Rs 20 crore had been allocated for the institutions whose construction was underway. Besides, the SGPC had kept Rs 73 crore for the purchase of a prominent college in Patiala, he said, adding that they had also made a provision of Rs 6 crore for helping those suffering from dreaded disease like cancer.

To wean away youth from drugs, the SGPC has allocated Rs 3 crore for building sports infrastructure and promoting sports among them. Makkar said Rs 2.25 crore had been kept for “Dharmi Faujis”, Rs 50 lakh for contesting legal battle in 1984 anti-Sikh riot cases and Rs 50 lakh for higher education of the riot victims.

He said the “langar” hall at the Golden Temple complex was being upgraded at a cost of Rs 60 crore while Rs 5 crore had been kept for the facelift of Ghantaghar entrance of the holy shrine, besides Rs 2.5 crore for Saragarhi Yatri Niwas.

Similarly, Rs 5 crore have been allocated for the construction of Shri Guru Gobind Singh Yatri Niwas at Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib. The SGPC has also kept Rs 7.5 crore for setting up Sikh Missions in different states, of which Rs 2 crore have been kept for the Sikh Mission in the US and Rs 1.5 crore for the one at Kathmandu in Nepal.

The SGPC has also fixed scholarship amount for baptised Sikh students. The scholarship is Rs 2,000 annually for students at the primary level, Rs 3,000 up to Class X and Rs 4,000 for Class XII students.

Opposition member Mangal Singh and Bhajan Singh Shergill raised various issues in the executive meeting. They alleged instead of debating on issues, Makkar suspended the meeting after the passage of the budget.

The duo took up the issue of the SGPC paying a hefty fee to its internal auditor SS Kohli, awarding construction work of buildings to private contractors, holding executive meetings at places other than Amritsar and “misuse” of SGPC vehicles, besides purchase of a property at Anandpur Sahib at “exorbitant price”.