SGPC passes Rupees 12 Billion Budget for 2018-19 with Focus on Religious Preachment

March 31, 2018

AMRITSAR SAHIB, Punjab—The General House of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhik Committee today passed annual budget worth Rupees 11.59 billion for the next financial year 2018-19 with special focus on intensifying religious preachment, healthcare, education and social welfare. In the General House meeting held today at Teja Singh Samundari Hall, the SGPC’s General Secretary S. Gurbachan Singh Karmuwala presented the budget and all the SGPC members endorsed the budget’s preferences by raising their hands.

The General House meeting begun under patronage of Sri Guru Granth Sahib after recitation of initiation ardas by Bhai Salwinder Singh. Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh read hukamnama (sacred order of Sri Guru Granth Sahib) on this occasion.

Following this, the SGPC’s Chief Secretary Dr. Roop Singh invited the SGPC president S. Gobind Singh Longowal to begin meeting following which Longowal read condoling resolution about the demise of SGPC member Surjit Singh Kalaboola, S. Manjit Singh Calcutta and Bhai Gurbakhsh Singh Khalsa.

Interacting with media, the SGPC president S. Gobind Singh Longowal said that special provision for helping the cancer victims has been made in the budget for next year. He clarified that the net budget of SGPC is Rupees 9.38 trillion which is sum up of the budget of all the 233 SGPC run institutions.

Elaborating the main details of budget, Longowal informed that the SGPC has kept Rupees 160 million for intensifying the religious preachment wave in Punjab as well as in other north Indian states. He added that the religious preachment wave of next fiscal year has been dedicated to 550^th birth anniversary celebrations of Sri Guru Nana Dev Ji in Sultanpur Lodhi six beautiful gates are being built. “Rupees 9 million have been kept for purchasing new medical vans for providing medical facilities in backward areas and Rupees 2.5 million have been kept for medicines. Also, Rupees 8 million have been kept for helping the Sikligar Sikhs” he added.

Other major allocations made in the budget are as follow:

Rupees 95 million for helping cancer patients
Rupees 6.3 million organizing Khalsa Sports Meet and encouraging the Sikh players with rewards
Rupees 6.5 million for research in Sikh history and publishing of research papers
Rupees 2.5 million for modernizing, computerizing and installing CCTV cameras in the Sikh Reference Library.
Rupees 5 million for honouring Sikh Intellectuals and other religious personalities
Rupees 3.5 million for the families of martyred and injured Sikhs
Rupees 3 million for providing higher education to the kids of 1984 Sikh Genocide victims
Rupees 15 million for providing aid to students pursuing Masters and Doctorates in religious study

Like earlier, the SGPC has also announced to honour GurSikh candidates with Rupees 100000/- if they clear the IAS/IPS (Indian Administrative Services / Indian Police Services) exam and Rupees 75000/- if they clears the PCS (Punjab Civil Services) exam. Similarly, if a baptized Sikh secures a position in one of the top 20 positions in any state or central exam, he/she would be given reward worth Rs. 51000/- by the SGPC.