Punjab Assembly on Tuesday passed the Sikh Gurudwaras (amendment) Bill 2023 making the telecast of Gurbani from Golden Temple free for all, with no tender required.
Gurbani is for all and I want to ensure that everyone can hear and see it on any channel they like, said Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann in the Assembly.
Making an amendment in the Sikh Gurudwara Act, 1925, a section was added in the Act to broadcast Gurbani free for all.
Presently, the telecast rights are with PTC, a Punjabi television network owned by SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal under an 11-year contract signed by the SGPC in 2012.
Rabindra Narayan, the managing director and president of PTC Network tweeted that Gurbani is "already free". He also announced a reward of Rs 1 crore if they bring any one customer who had to pay a fee to subscribe to Gurbani across the country.
GURBANI IS ALREADY FREE. All PTC Network channels are designated as FREE TO AIR channels by Government of India. No cable operator, DTH operator charges any money. It is also available for free on YouTube and Facebook. So how are they claiming to make Gurbani Free To Air? We… pic.twitter.com/IEYNuuPnke
— Rabindra Narayan (@RabindraPTC) June 20, 2023
"GURBANI IS ALREADY FREE. All PTC Network channels are designated as FREE TO AIR channels by Government of India. No cable operator, DTH operator charges any money. It is also available for free on YouTube and Facebook. So how are they claiming to make Gurbani Free To Air? We challenge the whole cabinet to bring one single customer bill where anyone has had to pay to subscribe to Gurbani across the country!! REWARD ONE CRORE RUPEES!,"
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced on Sunday that the government will amend the Act, a move opposed by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the apex religious body for Sikhs, and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).
SGPC had said that the 1925 Act is a central legislation and can be only amended by Parliament. SGPC chief H. S. Dhami said the Punjab government should not interfere in the religious matters of Sikhs and that it has no right to amend the Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1925.
Stating the need of the hour is to disseminate the 'Sarb Sanji Gurbani' across the globe, Gurbani should be telecast free of cost rather than confining it to a single channel, Mann had said. He also said that the move will go a long way in offering an opportunity to the 'Sangat' to listen to Gurbani while sitting at home, even in foreign countries.
The chief minister said it will also allow people to get a glimpse of the Sri Harmandar Sahib on their TVs and other electronic gadgets.
