With Rs 10 crore donation, SGPC to open schools

GS Paul

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, November 15

A sum of Rs 10.13 crore has been collected during the first-ever international nagar kirtan during its 96-day journey through 17 Indian states. The SGPC intends to utilise the amount to open schools in the name of the first Sikh Guru.

Dedicated to the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, it was the SGPC’s maiden effort to organise a grand nagar kirtan that started off from Janam Asthan, Nankana Sahib in Pakistan, His birth place, and culminated at Gurdwara Ber Sahib in Sultanpur Lodhi, the place where He founded the Sikh religion in the 15th century.

It has been learnt that the devotees also donated foreign currency, gold and silver out of devotion to welcome the nagar kirtan at their doorstep.

A dedicated sub-panel of the SGPC on Friday held a meeting and declared the donation received from the devotees and the expenditure made during the nagar kirtan.

Chairman of the sub-panel Jathedar Tota Singh said it was unanimously decided to recommend the SGPC to utilise the donation collected to open educational institutions in various districts in the name of Guru Nanak.

“All committee members agreed that the sangat money should be used to open schools dedicated to the 550th Gurpurb. We will ask the SGPC president to execute it with the cooperation of the sangat, which has extended overwhelming response and devotion to this nagar kirtan,” he said.

Revealing the details, nagar kirtan coordinator and SGPC secretary Manjit Singh Batth said a total of Rs 10.13 crore was offered by the devotees and the total expenditure incurred was Rs 1.73 crore. Besides this, the sangat did splendid service of offering vehicles maintenance, fuel and accommodation of participants.

The nagar kiran had commenced from Nankana Sahib on August 1 and entered India the same day from Attari-Wagah joint check-post.