Amid jurisdictional tussle, SGPC to allocate Rs 8 crore for medical institute

Punjab: Despite the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee’s (HSGMC) attempts to take control of the Miri Piri Institute of Medical Sciences and Research in Shahabad Markanda, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has made a provision of Rs 8 crore for the institute in its annual budget. All arrangements have been made to present the budget for the financial year 2026-27 at the SGPC headquarters here on March 28. Sources in the largest Sikh body said that the SGPC may present an annual budget of around Rs 1,400 crore. SGPC Education Secretary Sukhminder Singh said that the body has been giving an annual grant of Rs 8 crore to the institute for the past several years, which is managed by a trust headed by SGPC President Harjinder Singh Dhami. The institute is built on 25 acres of land, five of which are registered in the name of the Golden Temple in Amritsar, and the remaining in the name of a local committee that manages Gurdwara Mastgarh in Shahabad Markanda. The SGPC built the facility in 2006 at a cost of ₹150 crore. It provides annual grants to the institute without taking any income from any other gurdwara in Haryana, which is now managed by the HSGMC. Recently, HSGMC leaders, led by co-opted member Baljit Singh Daduwal, visited the institute unannounced and attempted to seize control. Senior SGPC officials and executive members are reportedly upset with this development. Meanwhile, a large portion of the SPGC budget allocation will go to the establishment. It will receive 40 percent of the funds, followed by 20 percent for the langar.