1. Cabinet has taken note that the Prime Minister will attend the Inauguration Ceremony of HE Mr Thabo Mbeki as President of the Republic of South Africa on 27 April 2004 in Pretoria, which will coincide with the celebration for the 10th Anniversary of Democracy in South Africa. The Prime Minister will be accompanied by Mr V. Makhan, Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Mrs V. Ramsamy, Permanent Secretary, Private Office of the Prime Minister.
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2. Cabinet has taken cognizance of various proposals with regard to the computation of Asian languages/Arabic for the purpose of admission to Form I as from the 2004 CPE Examinations, and has agreed that -
(i) Government would, under no circumstances, defer the computation of Asian Languages/Arabic for the purpose of admission to Form I as from the 2004 CPE Examinations; and
(ii) splitting of subjects as at present taught at Primary level would not be considered.
Discussions between the Ministry of Education and Scientific Research and the Attorney-General's Office on the proposals were ongoing and Cabinet would take a decision on the most appropriate option to ensure equality of chances to all candidates, at its next meeting.
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3. Cabinet has taken note of the recommendations of a committee chaired by the Secretary to Cabinet and Head of the Civil Service on the functioning of the Board of Visitors for Prisons and for reducing the number of detainees on remand and has agreed to the implementation thereof.
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4. Cabinet has taken cognizance of the death of 30,000 fowls in a poultry farm at Trois Ilots on 29 March 2004. The situation is being monitored jointly by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Technology and Natural Resources and the Ministry of Health and Quality of Life and a report will be submitted in due course.
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5. Cabinet has agreed to the introduction of the Calling Party Pays System with effect from 1 October 2004, whereby the calling party on a mobile phone pays the full cost of the call. Further, Cabinet has taken note of the composition of the ICT Appeal Tribunal under the chairmanship of Mr H.D.Vellien.
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6. Cabinet has reviewed progress regarding the setting up of a Digital Terrestrial Broadcasting (DTB) system for both television and data purposes by Multi Carrier (Mauritius) Ltd (MCML), and has agreed to -
(i) proposals for the platform installed by the MCML and which covers 50% of household be upgraded to reach out to around 80% of households; and
(ii) the soft launch of the Digital Television Services in Mauritius being made as from August 2004, while the Digital Video Broadcasting-T interactive services would be soft launched as from November 2004.
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7. Cabinet has reviewed the situation regarding the intoxication problem at Rose Belle and has taken note that a technical team comprising representatives of the Ministry of Environment and National Development Unit, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Technology and Natural Resources, the Ministry of Health and Quality of Life, the MSIRI, the Meteorological Services and the University of Mauritius has, following an investigation, recommended that a complete audit be undertaken by Alcodis Ltd to identify possible leakages.
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8. Cabinet has taken note that contrary to what has been reported in an article of l'Express of 2 April 2004, the Prime Minister has not intervened with the Independent Broadcasting Authority with regard to the 1st April hoax broadcast by Radio Plus.
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9. Cabinet has taken note of -
(i) the outcome of the mission of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Regional Cooperation in Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania from 12 to 15 March 2004 where he attended the SADC Meeting of Council of Ministers and the SADC Meeting of Ministers of Finance;
(ii) the outcome of the mission of the Minister of Tourism and Leisure in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 19 to 21 March 2004 where he attended the 1st Commonwealth Tourism Ministers' Meeting;
(iii) arrangements made for the 8th Task Force of Senior Officials and the 4th Ministerial Council Meeting of the Eastern and Southern Africa Anti-Money Laundering Group (ESAAMLG) to be held in Mauritius from 16 to 19 August 2004; and
(iv) the outcome of the First Meeting of the 'Comite International des Jeux des Iles' (CIJ) held in Madagascar on 19 and 20 March 2004.