Close X
Monday, November 11, 2024
ADVT 
India

Haryana assembly passes bill for separate SGPC

Darpan News Desk IANS, 11 Jul, 2014 01:07 PM
    Amid stiff opposition from the opposition benches, a bill for creating a separate body for managing Sikh gurdwaras in Haryana was passed by the state assembly Friday.
     
    The Haryana Sikh Gurdwaras (Management) Bill, 2014, was introduced by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala Friday afternoon on the opening day of the state assembly's monsoon session. It was passed after some discussion in the house.
     
    The opposition Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) opposed the introduction of the bill. Legislators of both parties walked out of the house over this issue.
     
    In a related development, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the mini-parliament of Sikh religious affairs, which controls gurdwaras across Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, Friday said that it proposed to set up a sub-committee to manage affairs of gurdwaras and Sikh affairs in Haryana. Till now, these were controlled by the Amritsar-based SGPC.
     
    SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar cautioned Haryana's Sikhs from falling prey to the Congress conspiracy to divide the community.
     
    The highest temporal seat of Sikh religion, the Akal Takht, had earlier opposed the move by the Haryana government to allow a separate committee to manage gurdwaras in the state.
     
    Haryana Chief Minister Bhupendra Singh Hooda had Sunday announced the setting up of a separate Sikh committee for Haryana gurdwaras. He had said that the necessary legislation for this would be brought in the monsoon session of the assembly.
     
    A committee constituted by the Haryana government on the issue had submitted its report in favour of separate Sikh body to manage gurdwaras in the state. The committee, headed by state Finance Minister Harmohinder Singh Chatha, who is himself a Sikh from Haryana, recommended the setting up of a separate body to manage Sikh shrines in Haryana.
     
    There are 72 gurdwaras in Haryana under the SGPC and they contribute over Rs.30 crore (Rs.300 million) to the SGPC kitty. The SGPC controls majority of the gurdwaras in Punjab, including the holiest of all Sikh shrines 'Harmandar Sahib' (popularly known as Golden Temple) in Amritsar.
     
     

    MORE India ARTICLES

    Efforts on for release of abducted Indians in Iraq

    Efforts on for release of abducted Indians in Iraq
    The Indian government is in touch with agencies and countries that can be of help in securing the release of Indians who were rounded up by suspected Sunni militants in Mosul town of violence-hit Iraq, official sources here said Sunday.

    Efforts on for release of abducted Indians in Iraq

    Indian student in UAE readies for NASA launch of experiments

    Indian student in UAE readies for NASA launch of experiments
    The experiments of an eleven-year-old Indian student in the UAE would be launched into space under a NASA programme, a media report said.

    Indian student in UAE readies for NASA launch of experiments

    Modinomics will face 'socialist' roadblock

    Modinomics will face 'socialist' roadblock
    As Narendra Modi resumes the task of continuing the economic reforms even if it means administering "bitter medicine", the first dose of which was given on Friday, one might have expected the Congress to offer him wholehearted support.

    Modinomics will face 'socialist' roadblock

    Did not seek to impose Hindi, says Modi government

    Did not seek to impose Hindi, says Modi government
    Amid fire from various political parties and chief ministers for imposing the use of Hindi in non-Hindi speaking states, the union home ministry Friday said it "didn't seek to impose communication in Hindi on states which do not speak the language".

    Did not seek to impose Hindi, says Modi government

    Government set to make Temporary Foreign Worker program more transparent

    Government set to make Temporary Foreign Worker program more transparent
    Employment Minister Jason Kenney and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander are set to reveal reforms to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program Friday. This will include making public the names of employers that have been given the green light to hire temporary foreign workers, reports the CBC.

    Government set to make Temporary Foreign Worker program more transparent

    Abducted Indian escapes, India 'knocking on all doors'

    Abducted Indian escapes, India 'knocking on all doors'
    India said Friday it was "knocking on all doors" and not just in Iraq to free the Indian workers abducted there, as one of them escaped from the custody of suspected Sunni insurgents.

    Abducted Indian escapes, India 'knocking on all doors'