CABINET DECISIONS –4 JUNE 2010 |
1. Cabinet has taken note that, in its endeavour to further empower women entrepreneurs, the Ministry of Gender Equality, Child Development and Family Welfare is organising a training programme on Fundamentals of Packaging to -(a) provide fundamental understanding of packaging processes and materials;
(b) sensitize on the introduction of packaging designs, cover colour combinations and labelling concepts; and
(c) explain the environmental aspects of packaging.
Cabinet has further taken note that the Ministry of Gender Equality, Child Development and Family Welfare, in collaboration with the National Productivity and Competitiveness Council, would also launch an Open and Distance Learning Programme to impart skills and knowledge for the socio-economic empowerment of women.
2. Cabinet has taken note that, with a view to better monitoring absenteeism and bunking off of students, the Ministry of Education and Human Resources, in collaboration with the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, would, as from the beginning of the third term 2010, introduce an SMS-based system whereby parents would be invariably notified of the absence or otherwise of their wards from school.
3. Cabinet has taken note that, under the Get Together Programme announced in Budget 2010, the Ministry of Social Security, National Solidarity and Reform Institutions, would organize entertainment programmes, outings and visits to hotels, as well as hold talks, with a view to bringing together elders living alone.
4. Cabinet has agreed to Mauritius submitting its candidature for election as member of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage established within UNESCO. The main objective of the Committee is to examine proposals for inscription on either the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity or the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in need of urgent safeguarding.
5. Cabinet has taken note of the status of the Employees’ Real Estate Investment Trust and of future investments being made by the Trust. The objectives of the Trust are, inter alia, to purchase or lease land, manage, develop and sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of land and to do such things incidental thereto for the promotion of the welfare and benefit of employees. The Trust has, so far, issued units, estimated at Rs1,000, to 348,129 employees as defined in the National Savings Fund Act. The value of the unit stands now at Rs2,549.54.
6. Cabinet has taken note of the Report of a study aimed at assessing the adequacy of the existing legal framework in the Services Sector in Mauritius and identifying new areas requiring domestic regulations, with particular emphasis on professional, health and educational services, with a view to transforming Mauritius into a service-based economy. The recommendations contained in the Report include, inter alia, -
(a) establishment of a permanent framework for regularizing reform review;
(b) adoption of the APEC-OECD Integrated Checklist on Regulatory Reform; and
(c) review of legislative and regulatory measures, as well as administrative practices, affecting the Services Sector.
7. Cabinet has taken note that the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme, would distribute a pamphlet and two posters on the project entitled Sustainable Management of Persistent Organic Pollutants, with a view to -
(a) raising awareness of the public on Persistent Organic Pollutants issues;
(b) promoting further understanding of the Stockholm Convention;
(c) explaining the Sustainable Management of Persistent Organic Pollutants project which is currently being implemented; and
(d) sensitizing on precautions to be taken when dealing with Persistent Organic Pollutants.
The objectives of the project are to dispose of obsolete Persistent Organic Pollutants chemicals and develop alternative strategies for malaria vector management.
8. Cabinet has taken note that the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development would publish and distribute a pocketbook on Sustainable Consumption and Production Indicators. The pocketbook, which presents a set of 30 indicators on Sustainable Consumption and Production, aims at guiding our understanding of the consumption and production patterns in Mauritius in order to trigger appropriate policy responses and set appropriate norms. The electronic version of the pocketbook is available on the website of the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development - http://environment.gov.mu.
9. Cabinet has taken note of activities that would be organized by the Ministry of Health and Quality of Life to mark the World Blood Donor Day 2010, viz, –
(a) Rally from Curepipe to Mahebourg;
(b) Carnival by school students from Mahebourg Museum to Mahebourg Waterfront;
(c) Sketch by Komiko;
(d) Blood donation;
(e) Prize giving to winners of a painting competition;
(f) Launching of a commemorative first day cover by the Mauritius Post Ltd; and
(g) Open Painting Competition for children at the Municipality of Beau Bassin/ Rose Hill.
This year’s theme focuses on young donors with the slogan New Blood for the World.
10. Cabinet has taken note of activities that would be organised by the Ministry of Arts and Culture in the context of Music Day, which is celebrated every year on 21 June, viz. -
(a) a Jazz Fusion Concert, with the collaboration of the Conservatoire National de Musique François Mitterand and the Municipality of Port Louis, around the theme Rapprochement des Cultures;
(b) a special musical programme by the MBC/TV;
(c) a cultural programme by Mahatma Gandhi Institute, in collaboration with the Indira Gandhi Centre for Indian Culture; and
(d) a cultural programme Univert by the Institut Français de Maurice.