With the Golden Temple being closed amidst a nationwide lockdown, the Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) remains uncertain on how to pay salaries in routine to its employees. The Golak (donation box) at Golden Temple is the biggest contributor into the SGPC annual budget. But while the arrival at Golden Temple due to curfew orders has decreased to one percent, the SGPC continued to deliver Langar at the door steps of poor families affected due to Coronavirus. "We were providing langar for the needy at our all Gurudwaras, however, it has stopped from last two days due to instructions from government as spread of COVID-19 was reported during distribution of Langar. Now Langar is not going outside Gurudwaras. But it is still continue inside Gurudwaras. Donation has almost stopped but our expenditures on Langar and other services are still on," said SGPC secretary Roop Singh. SGPC has total 79 Gurudwaras largely in Punjab and Haryana under its control. Apart from that, SGPC funds 120 schools and colleges running under it. Total 215 different establishments including trusts are working under SGPC. However, revenues largely comes only from 79 Gurudwaras and SGPC funds rest of the institutions managed by it with donations. Total collection of donation from all these Gurudwaras was around Rs 690 crore during 2019-20. Golden Temple contributed around Rs 275 crore alone. SGPC has around 11000 employees including at its head office, in 79 Gurudwaras, at Dharam Parchar Committee and other establishments. It paid more than Rs 200 crore to around 8000 employees working only in Gurudwaras during the last financial year. Around Rs 70 crore was paid to employees at SGPC headquarters, Dharam Parchar Committee working under different Trusts. The annual spending on the budget of Golden Temple community Kitchen was Rs 44 crore during the last financial year. The annual electricity bill alone had crossed Rs 10 crore. Big amount of funds is also spent on celebrating big occassions like 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev. After Golden Temple, Takht Kesgarh Sahib Anandpur Sahib has biggest budget. It had a budget of Rs 53 crore the last annual. All these figures are part of Rs 690 crore approximate collection by all Gurudwaras during 2019-20. The education institutions under SGPC have been already facing financial crisis and surviving on funding from the SGPC. The dent in the SGPC accounts will also hurt the education institutions. SGPC had kept rs 37 cr as education fund during last financial year. Apart from that SGPC had kept Rs 22 crore for cancer patients during last year. SGPC also fund the education of poor students and award the achivers. The committee, however, has no direct saving. 79 Gurudwaras may have their own saving, which they can't share with SGPC headquarters with ease. "Touching employees salaries should be last option for SGPC. It should control spending on new building construction. Also it can reduce the funds to its members. SGPC members are given funds on the recommendations of SGPC president to spend in their constituencies. But it is true that the community kitchen and salaries are biggest spending areas for SGPC," said a SGPC secretary, not wanted to be named. He said "The employees working in the education institutions are not directly paid by SGPC. But finances of these institutions has been dependent on the SGPC. If SGPC revenue hurts then it is obvious that employees at education institutions will also face the heat of economic recession." Roop Singh said, "It is natural that SGPC will also be victim of recession. We will be affected by it. Arrival of devotees has decreased to only one percent. We have given the salary of March. But we will have to think about it seriously. President Gobind Singh Longowal will take decision over it." Longowal said, "We will discuss this crisis in the SGPC house meeting and will take decision. It is ture that we have been affected by this crisis." SGPC gives increment of 10% annual to its employees and SGPC president Longowal said that committee would need to check the balance sheet before making any new decision for new financial year. SGPC house annually meets for finalising budget in last week of March, however, meeting was postponed till due to COVID-19 and not sechduled yet.
