New Delhi, 20/06/2023: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann confirmed that the Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Bill, 2023, was passed in today’s state assembly.
‘Gurbani is for all and I want to ensure that everyone can hear and see it on any channel they like,’ he said as he announced the move.
The bill amends the Sikh Gurdwara Act of 1925 to make Gurbani broadcasting free to everybody. The law also includes a provision that no channel broadcasting Gurbani – which has been transmitted from the Harmandir Sahib in the morning and evening since 1998 – may show ads for half an hour before or after it airs.
Since 2007, the broadcast rights have been held by the PTC network, which the politically prominent Badal family owns. The network pays the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), which manages the Harmandir Sahib, Rs. 2 crores every year.
Mann criticised the Badals and said he has no channel of his own in the Assembly after the measure was tabled. “I am not requesting that telecast rights be granted to my channel.” So, what’s the Badals’ problem?”
He added that Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has always claimed that Gurbani is free to broadcast. “If that’s the case, why isn’t it broadcast on every channel?” Mann inquired.
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