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2.Cabinet has agreed to Regulations being made under the Development Incentives Act to provide incentives to foreign companies to set up their Regional Headquarters in Mauritius. Such a measure will increase investment, provide greater employment opportunities, transfer of technology and exposure to international best practices.
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3.Cabinet has approved the grant of 2 Export Enterprise Certificates for the manufacture of oxidiser matrix which is used as a raw material for the manufacture of explosives and the manufacture of textile softener meant for EPZ enterprises. One Pioneer Status Enterprise Certificate has been approved for the setting up of a milling plant to convert brown rice into basmati rice, sharbati rice and long grain parmal rice. The implementation of the three(3) projects would create some 53 job opportunities and would entail investment amounting to around Rs56.6 million.
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4.Cabinet has approved 30 applications for registration as Small and Medium Enterprises. Investment to the tune of Rs 3.7M will be made in projects such as bee-keeping, bottling of fruit juice, manufacture of gold and silver jewellery, wooden furniture, wooden artisanal products and printing. Out of this sum some Rs 375,000 will be invested in Rodrigues.
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5. Cabinet has been apprised of the situation in Côte d’Ivoire following the military coup on 24 December 1999. The Government condemns the coup and demands the speedy return of constitutional order in that country.
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6. Cabinet has been apprised of the situation following the hijacking of an Indian Airline flight en route from Khathmandu to New Delhi on 24 December 1999. The Government condemns this act of terrorism.
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7.Cabinet has agreed to a programme of assistance to successful CPE students of Agalega who face certain difficulties in adapting to the secondary education system in Mauritius.
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8.Cabinet has taken note that no Y2K-related problem and incident were reported in the country during the date change from 31 December 1999 to 1 January 2000. The National Y2K Task Force will, however, continue to monitor the situation.
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9.Cabinet has taken note of the composition of the Board of the Mauritius Telecommunications Authority to be under the Chairmanship of Mr Rajeskumar Unnuth, former Senior Magistrate, for a period of three years.
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10.Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the participation of a tripartite delegation led by the Minister of Labour and Industrial Relations, Employment and Human Resource Development at the Ninth African Regional Meeting of the International Labour Organisation held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire from 8 to 11 December 1999.
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11.Cabinet has taken note that a Regional Conference of Commercial Officers from British Diplomatic Missions in Sub-Saharan Africa will be held at the Labourdonnais Waterfront Hotel on 17 and 18 January. The Conference will be attended by some fifty-five participants including the Head of African Department (Southern) at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Director for Africa of British Trade International.
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12.Cabinet has been apprised of
(i) the reconstitution of the Insurance Advisory Committee under the Chairmanship of Mr P. Ramburn, General Manager Rainbow Insurance Co. Ltd.;
(ii) the reconstitution of the Local Government Service Commission under the Chairmanship of Mr Poonith Wootun Meeheelaul.
(iii) the outcome of the Investment Promotion mission by the Minister of Industry, Commerce,Corporate Affairs & Financial Services to UK and Switzerland from 6 to 9 December 1999;
(iv) the mission of the Minister of Fisheries and Co-operatives to India from 19 to 29 December 1999; and
(v) the participation of the Minister of Youth & Sports in the third International Conference for Ministers and Senior Officials for Physical Education and Sports (MINEPS III) held in Uruguay from 30 November to 3 December 1999.
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