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Last updated: July 22, 2023 at 00:13 AM IST
In response to the SGPC’s decision to request the PTC to continue televising Gurbani from the Golden Temple, Chief Minister of Punjab Bhagwant Mann dared the committee to explain why it was keen to hand over the rights to just one channel instead of making it free. (Representative image: Unsplash)
SGPC recently decided not to renew its contract with PTC Broadcasting Channel and broadcast it on its own YouTube channel.
Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh directed the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) to make arrangements to hire an announcer to broadcast Gurbani live from the Golden Temple so that the Sikh body could launch its full satellite channel. Recently SGPC decided not to renew the agreement with PTC channel for Gurbani telecast from the shrine after the term expired on 23 July. It was also decided that the live broadcast will be broadcast on the YouTube channel of the Sikh Authority from 24 July.
But with the SGPC receiving undertakings that the YouTube channel will restrict its reach as many will not have Android TVs or smartphones, the committee is working on asking the existing PTC to expand its services until the Sikh body comes up with its own channel. Its general secretary Gurcharan Singh Jariwal said that as per Akal Takht’s directive, the PTC channel management will be required to extend its services until SGPC launches its satellite channel. He said SGPC had already embarked on the exercise to obtain the required permits from the Ministry of Information and Syndicated Broadcasting to launch its own channel.
But in response to the SGPC’s decision to ask the PTC to continue telecasting Gurbani from the Golden Temple, Chief Minister of Punjab Bhagwant Mann dared to explain why it was keen to hand over the rights to just one channel instead of making it free.
The Prime Minister stressed the government’s attempts to provide free TV broadcasts and free broadcasts of Qurbani to all channels. “In case the SGPC has any hurdles in allowing all, the state government is ready to make arrangements for this SGPC within 24 hours,” Mann said.
The Prime Minister said it was strange that for so long only one channel was given exclusive rights to broadcast Qurbani from Darbar Sahib. He said the state government is ready to bear the entire expense of providing the latest infrastructure/technology in this regard.
CM said it was really sad that instead of allowing free TV broadcasts of Gurbani, the SGPC was trying to find ways to give the rights to the channel itself.
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