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The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee’s (SGPC) ambitious plan to have a dedicated satellite channel for the live telecast of Gurbani from the Golden Temple worldwide may take longer than expected to materialize. The three-month deadline for the project has passed, as the approval process by the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) is yet to be completed.

After the expiration of an 11-year contract with a private channel, the SGPC launched its YouTube channel, ‘SGPC Sri Amritsar,’ on July 24 as a temporary solution. The SGPC has been operating a Facebook page as well. The existing equipment provided by a private service provider has been used to telecast Gurbani live on YouTube during this time.

SGPC President Harjinder Singh Dhami stated that the progress with the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has been positive and encouraging. He mentioned meeting I&B Minister Anurag Thakur, who supported the initiative.

The SGPC has formed a sub-committee led by General Secretary Gurcharan Singh Grewal to facilitate the process with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Grewal mentioned that since this is the first-ever demand in the country for an exclusive religious and non-profitable Gurbani channel, the technicalities need to be drafted accordingly. The SGPC has demanded that all telecast rights be reserved with them and that the channel be a non-profit venture.

As this is the first demand of its kind, the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is taking time to rework the technicalities and frame them in a new format to categorize it appropriately. The SGPC is eagerly awaiting the green signal from the ministry to proceed with their arrangements.

Once the dedicated satellite channel is established, it will provide a means for Sikhs worldwide to access live telecasts of Gurbani from the Golden Temple, fulfilling the SGPC’s vision of spreading the spiritual messages of Sikhism globally.

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