SGPC passes Rs 1,205-cr budget, hikes allocation for education
Neeraj Bagga
Tribune News Service
Amritsar, March 30
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) passed Rs 1,205 crore budget for 2019-20 at its executive meeting held here today. The budget is nearly Rs 46 crore more than the last year’s. It is split into four parts — SGPC, dharam parchar, educational institutions and gurdwaras.
The committee has allocated Rs 238 crore for its 53 schools and 37 colleges against Rs 228 crore last year. Similarly, there is a hike in the allocation of funds for the management of historic gurdwaras. The budget amount is Rs 714 crore against Rs 688 crore previously.
The dharam parchar committee saw a surge in the allocation to Rs 84 crore from Rs 56 crore. The budget allocation of the SGPC is further split into four parts — Rs 72.50 crore for general board fund, Rs 50.60 crore trust fund, Rs 37.40 crore education and Rs 7.25 crore for printing press. Besides, Rs 40 lakh has been allocated for Guru Granth Sahib Mission, Shahpur.
The budget was presented by SGPC general secretary Gurbachan Singh Karmuwal. Even before he completed the presentation, the budget was passed by raising religious slogans.
SGPC president Gobind Singh Longowal said religious programmes at a large scale would be organised to celebrate the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev in November for which Rs 12.63 crore had been allocated.
He said Rs 14.50 crore had been allocated for Sikligar and Vanjara Sikhs, gurdwaras outside Punjab and needy Sikh students. In addition, Rs 60 lakh has been set aside for games, Rs 1 crore Sikh players, Rs 2 crore dharmi faujis and their families, Rs 8 core Sikh mission centres outside state, Rs 70 lakh natural calamities and equal amount for Sikh history and its publication.
The committee also passed 11 resolutions, including release of Sikh political prisoners, resolution of Balwant Singh Rajoana’s case, providing facilities to pilgrims for the Kartarpur corridor, inclusion of an SGPC member in the Censor Board, strict punishment to culprits in anti-Sikh riots cases, demand for widening of roads leading to the Golden Temple and promotion of Punjabi language in neighbouring states.
Meanwhile, committee member Bibi Kiranjit Kaur flayed a hike in travelling expenses of the committee members to Rs 85 lakh from Rs 10 lakh last year.
Major allocations
Rs 238 cr Educational institutions
Rs 714 cr Historic gurdwaras
Rs 84 cr Dharam parchar
Rs 167 cr SGPC affairs
Rs 14.5 cr Sikligar, Vanjara Sikhs
