3-month deadline ends, wait for satellite channel to broadcast Gurbani from Golden Temple gets longer

GS Paul

Amritsar, October 25

The ambitious plan of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to have a dedicated satellite channel to telecast Gurbani live from the Golden Temple worldwide might take some more time to materialise.

The expected three-month deadline for the project has elapsed, with the approval procedure by the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) yet to be completed.

After the lapse of an 11-year contract with a private channel, the SGPC, as a stop-gap arrangement, had launched its YouTube channel, ‘SGPC Sri Amritsar, on July 24. It had already been operating a page on Facebook. The existing equipment set up by a private service provider had been used to telecast live Gurbani on YouTube since then.

The SGPC has been making constant efforts to start its satellite channel. “The ball is in the court of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. As soon as a green signal comes from there, we will start making arrangements at our end,” SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami said.

He added that the response from the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting was positive and encouraging.

“We had previously estimated that the formalities should not take more than three months but it turned out to be quite a lengthy exercise. We have been in regular touch with the ministry. I have myself also met I&B Minister Anurag Thakur who supported the move and gave a very positive response,” Dhami said.

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee has formed a sub-committee headed by general secretary Gurcharan Singh Grewal to follow the process with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

On October 12, an SGPC delegation had met Apurva Chandra, the secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, in New Delhi.

Grewal said that since it was the first-ever demand in the country to start an exclusive religious and non-profitable Gurbani channel, the requisite technicalities too have to be drafted accordingly.

“I believe that since it is the first such demand, the ministry has to rework on the technicalities and frame them in a new format to put it under a special category. We have demanded that all rights of telecast be reserved with the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. We also do not intend to monetise our channel as it would be a non-profit venture.”

I&B ministry working on technicalities

As this is the first demand to start an exclusive religious and non-profitable Gurbani channel in the country, the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is taking time to rework the technicalities and frame them in a new format to put it under a special category. We have demanded that all rights of telecast be reserved with the SGPC. — Gurcharan Singh Grewal,SGPC gen secy