Cabinet Decisions taken on 22 January

1. Cabinet has taken note that HE Mr Joaquim Chissano, former President of Mozambique, would be the Chief Guest on the occasion of the commemoration of the 175th Anniversary of the Abolition of Slavery on 1 February 2010. On the occasion, a number of activities would be organized: laying of wreaths at the Slave Route Monument, Le Morne and the Monument des Esclaves, Pte Canon, Mahebourg; unveiling of rocks at Le Morne; painting and sculpture exhibition and cultural programme.

2. Cabinet has taken note of the programme of activities organized in the context of the celebrations of the Spring Festival at national level, viz., -

(a) a Cultural Show with the participation of the Hubei Art Troupe from the People’s Republic of China and local artists at the Mahatma Gandhi Institute, Moka on 14 February 2010;

(b) a Cultural Show with the participation of the Troupe from the People's Republic of China, organized by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Human Resources, in collaboration with the China Town Cultural Association, and the Municipal Council of Port Louis, at Port Louis Waterfront on 16 February 2010;

(c) a Photo Exhibition entitled “Les découvertes archéologiques majeures de la Chine au 20ème Siècle” by the China Cultural Centre at the Gallery of the Mauritius Museums Council, Port Louis from 28 January to 28 February 2010;

(d) an Exhibition on ‘Chinese New Year Prints’ by the China Cultural Centre at the IBL Gallery, Port Louis from 8 to 18 February 2010 and at the Municipality of Quatre Bornes from 19 February to 7 March 2010; and

(e) the Lantern Festival at the Mahatma Gandhi Institute on 27 February 2010.

3. Cabinet has agreed to the publication and implementation of the Industrial and SME Strategic Plan 2010-2013, prepared jointly by the Ministry of Industry, Science and Research and the Ministry of Business, Enterprise and Cooperatives in consultation with relevant stakeholders.

4. Cabinet has taken note that the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Recreation Centre for Senior Citizens at Belle Mare would be operational as from 2 February 2010. The Ministry of Social Security, National Solidarity and Senior Citizens Welfare & Reform Institutions is organizing an Open Day from 20 to 28 January 2010 to enable all senior citizens to visit the Recreation Centre which provides for, inter alia, leisure and educational activities, such as swimming, indoor/outdoor games, TV shows, film projections, cultural shows, yoga, tai-chi, talks on elderly persons’ protection and preventive health.

5. Cabinet has taken note that, according to the last statistical bulletin, about 103,730 tourists visited Mauritius in the month of December 2009, as compared to 97,388 for the corresponding period in 2008, i.e., an increase of 6.5%. Positive growth rates have been registered in our main markets as follows:

• France - 20.0%
• Reunion Island - 20.3%
• South Africa - 27.9%
• India - 20.6%

6. Cabinet has agreed to a request from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Port Louis for the conversion of agricultural land at Petite Rivière for the construction of Phase II of St. Mary’s West College.

7. Cabinet has taken note that, in the context of the Animal Risk Project, tests on emerging animal diseases, like Rift Valley Fever, West Nile Fever, Asian Flu, African Swine Fever and Newcastle Disease, which have been carried out in Mauritius on samples of cattle, goats, sheep, pigs, poultry and horses, have revealed to be negative. The Animal Risk Project, implemented under the aegis of the Indian Ocean Commission, aims at establishing a network within the Island States of the Indian Ocean for the conduct of basic epidemiological studies to determine the current situational analysis on emerging animal diseases. The Ministry of Agro Industry, Food Production and Security has also taken measures to mitigate risks involved in the importation of livestock.

8. In order to alleviate traffic congestion in Rivière du Rempart and Rose Belle, which are fast developing into active towns, Cabinet has agreed to the extension of the Railway Road from Rivière du Rempart to Schoenfeld and to the construction of a bypass linking Hospital Road, Rose Belle to New Grove. The total cost of the projects is estimated at Rs 180 m.

9. Cabinet has taken note that, under the South West Indian Fisheries Project, a meeting on “Mainstreaming Biodiversity in National and Regional Fisheries Management” would be held in Mauritius from 10 to 11 February 2010. The objective of the Meeting is to discuss, among others, cruise arrangements for data collection on marine biodiversity, training workshops on the tagging and monitoring of marine turtles, identification of marine mammals species and their migration route and assessing their genetic stock structure.

10. Cabinet has taken note of progress in the preparation for the participation of Mauritius in the World Expo 2010 to be held in Shanghai, China. Mauritius has been allocated an exhibition area and a bazaar space in the African pavilion. The list of exhibits at the Mauritius stand would include replica of the dodo, ship models, furniture of "Compagnie des Indes", a display of stamps depicting the history of Mauritius, the cane sector, including the model of the flexi-factory and the tasting of special sugars, replica of the Blue Penny stamp and paintings of Malcolm de Chazal. Multimedia pertaining to business opportunities, tourism, industrial development, conservation of our fauna and flora and on Rodrigues would also be shown on the stand. Video clips and video footage on Mauritius would be telecast during the Expo. The S.R. Dance Group, gold medallist at the VIèmes Jeux de la Francophonie, would participate in the cultural performance organized on the National Pavilion Day for Mauritius on 29 May 2010.

11. Cabinet has taken note of activities that would be organized by the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, in collaboration with the National Computer Board, to mark the Annual Safer Internet Day 2010, commemorated on 9 February, viz, –

(a) holding a half-day workshop on the theme ‘Think B4 U post’, targeting all ICT teachers of primary schools;

(b) launching of pamphlets on social networking and cyber-bullying and distribution of brochures on Internet Safety for Children; and

(c) assisting fee-paying schools in implementing an “Internet Usage Code of Conduct”.

12. Cabinet has taken note that the Ministry of Youth and Sports proposes to amend the Second and Seventh Schedules of the Sports Act 2001 to include Kyokushinkai, a sport discipline which is becoming popular in Mauritius.

13. Cabinet has taken note of the reconstitution of –

(a) the National Productivity and Competitiveness Council with Mr Rajendra Kumar Mungur as Chairperson; and

(b) the Board of the Vallée D’Österlog Endemic Garden Foundation with Mrs Krishnawtee Beegun as Chairperson.

Previous Cabinet Decisions