1. Cabinet has taken note of the meeting the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Public Infrastructure, Land Transport & Shipping had with Nature Watch in connection with the implementation of the South Eastern Highway Project and agreed that a Committee chaired by the Secretary for Home Affairs and comprising all stakeholders should re-examine the project. The Prime Minister would visit the Ferney site shortly.
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2. Cabinet has agreed to the utilization of two Lines of Credit provided by the People’s Republic of China under a Framework Agreement for (a) the construction of a new building to accommodate the MBC Headquarters at Ebène, and (b) the introduction of a CCTV Street Surveillance System to cover the central parts of Port Louis as an effective means of beating street crimes and enhancing security and public safety.
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3. Cabinet has agreed to a feasibility study being carried out on the setting up of a Regional Multi-disciplinary Centre of Excellence in Mauritius. The project aims at developing Mauritius into a regional knowledge hub and complementing Government/Private Sector initiatives with a view to expediting the transition to a knowledge-based economy.
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4. Cabinet has taken note of the status of the on-going Rural Diversification Programme which is financed by the International Fund for Agricultural Development and is geared towards the economic empowerment of small farmers, fishermen and the social upliftment of communities and has agreed to discussions being held with IFAD on a Country Strategic Opportunities Paper setting out the basis of a subsequent assistance programme. Cabinet has also noted that, under the current programme, the previous Government had disbursed only 38.4% of the IFAD loan proceeds.
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5. Cabinet has agreed to the setting up of a High Powered Ministerial Committee as well as a Steering Committee for the coordination and general orientation of the Decentralised Cooperation Programme to be implemented under the 9th European Development Fund for Mauritius. The purpose of the Programme is to improve the strategic planning, advocacy and implementing capacity of Non-State Actors involved in the activities relating to poverty alleviation, grievances and fight against unemployment.
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6. Cabinet has agreed to the commissioning of a consultancy firm to examine the functions of all institutions financed from cess money and advise on the appropriate number of organizations required to promote the development of the sugar cane industry and co-products on an efficient basis with particular reference to the provision of services relating to land preparation and cultivation, marketing and production diversification and research and extension.
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7. Cabinet has agreed to ban the import of batteries containing mercury which is a highly toxic metal and is harmful to health and the environment.
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8. Cabinet has agreed to review the scope of infrastructural and landscaping works being carried out at Bel Ombre Public Beach.
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9. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the mission led by the Prime Minister to the Third Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Indian Ocean Commission held in Antananarivo, Madagascar on 22 July 2005. In the margin of the Summit, the Prime Minister had bilateral talks with inter alia
(i) President Chirac of France who assured him of his personal support in our plea to the EU for the mitigation of the effects of the review of the EU Sugar Regime on ACP sugar supplying countries;
(ii) President Marc Ravalomanana of Madagascar during which they agreed to enhance the level of bilateral relations between Mauritius and Madagascar as well as to cooperate on matters of mutual interest both at the regional and global levels; and
(iii) President A. Assoumani of Union of the Comoros. The Prime Minister reassured him that Mauritius would continue to support his country in the reconciliation process as well as in its struggle for economic recovery, and confirmed the offer of Mauritius to host the Donors’ meeting in November 2005 and to help his administration in the effective preparation of the documents for the meeting.
The Prime Minister also seized the opportunity -
(i) to invite Mr L. Michel, European Commissioner of Development and Humanitarian Aid to visit Mauritius and see for himself the vital role of the Sugar Sector in our socio-economic development; and
(ii) to meet Mauritian nationals who are working in Antananarivo.
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10. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the mission of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Cooperation to the Fourth AGOA Forum held in Dakar from 18 to 20 July 2005. The Minister co-chaired a panel discussion on trade promotion and had a number of bilateral meetings with both public and private sector representatives.
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11. Cabinet has taken note that the Ministry of Education & Human Resources will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the International Committee of Red Cross for the provision of a general Framework of Cooperation for the promotion of International Humanitarian Law in secondary schools and among young people.
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12. Cabinet has taken note of the status of the projects for the renovation and upgrading of the infrastructure of the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Garden which include inter alia the Château de Mon Plaisir, the building at the entrance, the tortoise pen and for the improvement to roads and landscaping works and the creation of nurseries for plants regeneration amongst others.
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13. Cabinet has taken note of amendments to be made to the Social Aid Regulations 1984 to specify the types of diseases and disabilities to be considered in respect of award of Social Aid to children below 15 years of age.
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14. Cabinet has taken note of the holding of the 21st Conference of the International Federation of Non-Governmental Organisations for the Prevention of Drug and Substance Abuse (IFNGO) to be held at the Grand Baie International Conference Centre from 21 to 24 August 2005. The Conference will inter alia discuss the issue of substance abuse and its related socio-economic impact and health consequences both at individual and societal levels.
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15. Cabinet has taken note of the visit of a 3-member team from the Department of Land Information of the State of Western Australia, which is undertaking a scrutiny of land management in the country.
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16. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the mission of the Minister of Youth & Sports to the 20th Session of the Ministerial Meeting of the “Commission de la Jeunesse et des Sports de l’Ocean Indien” (CJSOI) held in Comoros on 20 and 21 July 2005.
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17. Cabinet has taken note of the position regarding the project for the rehabilitation of Roche Bois Ex-Dumping Ground which was closed in 1994 and has agreed to carry out a reassessment of the project which will minimize the negative environmental impact caused by dumping and bring back the site into beneficial use.
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18. Cabinet has taken note of the visit of a delegation headed by Dr Arvind Pandalai, Chairman and Managing Director from STC India Ltd, a Government institution, which is an international trading house that deals in both import and export of a wide range of products. STC Mauritius and STC India have signed a Memorandum of Understanding in the field of trade and commerce. It has also been agreed that STC India will export to STC Mauritius a variety of products to be sold on the local market as well as to re-export to African countries. It is expected that with this arrangement the prices of certain basic commodities will decrease.
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