1. Cabinet has reviewed the conditions of the lease of land under the Sites and Services Project of the Ministry of Housing and Lands. The new income eligibility for a plot of serviced site will be the salary range from Rs 7,500 to Rs 12,000 instead of Rs 7,500 to Rs 10,000, and a rental of Rs 3,000 instead of Rs 4,000 per annum will be charged for each plot.
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2. Cabinet has agreed to the introduction into the National Assembly of the Ombudsperson for Children Bill which provides for the establishment of the Office of the Ombudsperson for Children with a view to better promoting children’s interests and protecting children’s rights in accordance with the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
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3. Cabinet has taken note that the Sports Complex and Stadium (Control) Regulations will be made to provide for safety requirements in stadiums, including first aid, fire system, Police control post, video control room, adequate lighting and public address system and for the increase in penalty for acts of violence and hoologanism.
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4. Cabinet has agreed to the recommendations of the Committee set up under the chairmanship of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance to examine the representations made by the Taxi Operators’ Association, including the following -
(a) taxi owners will be granted 60% remission on the registration duty payable on first registration of diesel cars only;
(b) taxi owners will henceforth be allowed to purchase a car on which duty is remitted every 4 years instead of 5 years as at present; and
(c) the maximum speed limit applicable on the motorway for taxi and private cars will be brought at par.
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5. Government has taken note that the Board of Investment has approved 26 projects during the period 27 June to 15 August 2003. The projects in the industrial, the ICT and the Hotel and Leisure Sectors will necessitate a total investment of around Rs 2,187 m, with Foreign Direct Investment at Rs 127 m, and create some 1,700 new jobs.
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6. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the visit of Mr Kiran Karnik, President of the National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) to Mauritius from 9 to 12 August 2003. Mr Karnik had working sessions with both Government and the private sector and had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the BPML which provides for inter alia enterprises of either side being encouraged to explore tie-ups for feasibility studies on the business opportunities and related investment and mutually beneficial joint-ventures, and for the exploration of business partnership opportunities between Indian and Mauritian companies in the context of the CyberCity Project.
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7. Cabinet has taken note that the Ministry of Training, Skills Development, Employment and Productivity is carrying out an exercise for the next intake of unemployed degree and diploma holders under the Skills Development Programme for Unemployed Graduates/Diplomates with a view to starting the programme in October 2003.
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8. Cabinet has taken note of the new alignment of the fuel hydrant line for the aviation fuel depot.
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9. Cabinet has agreed to Mauritius subscribing to the Hague Code of Conduct, formerly known as the International Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation, which seeks to curb and prevent ballistic missiles proliferation and provides for a series of transparency and confidence building measures to alleviate mistrust and insecurity in the use of missile technology.
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10. Cabinet has agreed to the preparation of -
(a) the Planters Bill with a view to incorporating in our legislation the obligations governing agriculture and associated trade-related issues subsequent to our adherence to agreements and conventions of the WTO;
(b) the Plant Breeder’s Rights Bill to provide for an effective system for the protection of plant varieties and to set up the base to provide for exclusive commercial rights to registered varieties; and
(c) the Seed Bill to provide for the necessary institutional support to regulate the seed industry, including the production, sale and exportation of seeds.
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11. Cabinet has taken note that a feasibility study will be carried out to look into the possibility of putting up additional floors on the New Government Centre building with a view to providing additional office space.
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12. Cabinet has taken note that, in line with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), a Scientific Authority and a Management Authority will be set up to inter alia gather and analyse information on the biological status of species affected by trade.
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13. Cabinet has taken note of the mission of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Cooperation to Maputo where he attended the Fourth Meeting of the Ministerial Committee of the Organ of Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation of SADC.
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