A new tussle started between the Delhi Lieutenant Governor, VK Saxena and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over the inauguration of Guru Gobind Singh Indraprasth University in East Delhi.

Delhi education minister, Atishi had announced the inauguration of the university by the Delhi CM which prompted the Delhi LG to issue a statement saying, “Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal himself was aware of the fact that the L-G was scheduled to inaugurate the campus. In fact, they were also aware that they were supposed to be present in the function as Guest of Honour and distinguished guest, as desired by the L-G and had also consented to it.”

“Moreover, even on the day when Atishi made this claim in a press conference, i.e. 06.06.2023, earlier during the day, the VC of GGSIPU had announced on stage at the Convocation of GGSIPU, where Atishi was present as a Guest of Honour, that the East Campus of the University was scheduled to be inaugurated by the Lt. Governor on 08.06.2023,” it added.  

Reacting to this Delhi education minister, Atishi said that the L-G should not forget that education, higher education and technical education are all transferred subjects.

Even Delhi minister Saurabh Bhardwaj reacted to this, saying that the L-G should focus on inauguration of buildings which come under Police, Land and Public order.

“The construction of this campus started when he (VK Saxena) was not the L-G. Manish Sisodia started this work and our elected government took it further. It is strange now for the L-G to say that he was asked by officials to inaugurate the university campus,” Bhardwaj said.

“At this rate, the L-G could say tomorrow that he would inaugurate Saurabh Bhardwaj’s office. That’s why L-G has kept all officers under his control and wants to keep it going. The CM is the one vested with the moral authority to inaugurate the campus. Such thoughts should not even come to the L-G’s mind,” he added.

Tensions have been rising between the Delhi L-G and Delhi CM for the past few years over various matters. Notably, in May this year a Supreme Court judgement had ruled that the Delhi government had powers over civil services in the Delhi after which the Centre had brought in an ordinance regarding civil services giving more power to the L-G, creating more friction between the two posts.

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Netherlands faces ‘technical recession’

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The Netherlands encountered a setback as its GDP contracted by -0.3% in the second quarter of 2023, marking a decline for the second consecutive quarter and officially pushing the nation into a ‘technical recession’. This economic downturn was primarily influenced by reduced international trade and a drop in household consumption.

In comparison to the initial three months of the year, where the economy shrank by -0.4%, the second quarter contraction further deepened the recession. Year-on-year, the GDP was also -0.3% smaller during the same period in 2022. This contraction was attributed to declining exports of goods, a decrease in household spending, and an upswing in imports.

Exports demonstrated a parallel weak performance to the earlier months of the year, declining by -0.7% in the second quarter. This decline was solely due to a decrease in goods exports by -1.4%, whereas service exports saw a growth of 2.5%. Surprisingly, the net trade’s contribution to GDP growth was even worse, as imports grew by 0.5% in both goods (0.7%) and services (0.1%).

Government consumption expanded by 0.7%, in line with the previous coalition agreement. The growth was particularly noticeable in collective government consumption (1.3%), with healthcare and education playing a role.

The Netherlands’ economic woes were driven by contractions in various sectors. Agriculture and fishery took the hardest hit (-4.1% quarter-on-quarter), while the trade, transport, and hospitality sector, which encompasses retail, experienced a -2.0% decline.

Looking ahead, the Netherlands anticipates a relatively stagnant GDP, with modest quarterly growth figures expected to hover around zero. While wage growth surpassing inflation provides positivity, challenges such as higher interest rates and international uncertainties continue to cast a shadow over the economic outlook.

Moreover, the recent fall of the government could potentially slow down government expenditure growth. Despite these challenges, a tight labour market and labour hoarding by firms are expected to prevent a severe recession with high unemployment levels.

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