 1. Cabinet has agreed to the Certificate of Morality Act being amended to, amongst others, change the appellation of the certificate from “Certificate of Morality” to “Certificate of Character”, curtail the delay in the issue of the Certificate to two weeks, increase the validity of the Certificate to one year and provide the possibility of making electronic application for a Certificate.
2. Cabinet has taken note that, in order to regulate that Homes provide better services for the welfare of residents, the Minister of Social Security, National Solidarity and Reform Institutions would promulgate the Residential Care Homes Regulations to enforce the provision of additional facilities in bedrooms and multi-occupancy rooms.
3. Cabinet has taken note of developments in the regularisation of the setting up and functioning of Child Day Care Centres in accordance with the norms and standards prescribed in the Institutions for the Welfare and Protection of Children Regulations so that these institutions can provide better services to the public.
4. Cabinet has taken note that Mauritius ranks second in the world and first in Africa in air quality index released by the World Health Organisation (WHO). According to the WHO air quality guidelines, the recommended maximum level for PM 10 (particulate matter with diameter of 10 micro-metres or less) which can affect our lungs, cause heart diseases and acute respiratory infections should be less than 20 micrograms per cubic metre. Mauritius is one of the few countries in the world where the PM 10 level is 12 micrograms per cubic metre.
5. Cabinet has taken note that the BSc Computing and Information Systems Top-Up programme, run by the University of Technology, Mauritius, was launched on 6 September 2011 in Rodrigues. A first batch of 13 students have embarked on a degree course without having to move to Mauritius. The University of Technology, Mauritius is also providing top-up degree courses from the School of Business, Management and Finance and the School of Innovation Technologies and Engineering in Rodrigues.
6. Cabinet has taken note that the Rajiv Gandhi Science Centre has introduced the Sky Observation Programme, a new activity to enable the public to view celestial objects through a telescope of 10 cm diameter and to locate different constellations. During the Programme, slide shows on astronomy and a film on Les Mystères de l’Univers are also projected. A first programme was organized in Clemencia and Ernest Florent, where about 1,500 persons were present. Similar programmes would be held in Hermitage, Panchavati and Belle Mare before the end of this year, and other regions of the country and Rodrigues would be covered next year.
7. Cabinet has taken note of the School Calendar for primary and secondary levels for the Academic Year 2012, viz.,
|
Primary |
Secondary |
| 1st Term |
Thursday 12 January to Friday 06 April |
Thursday 12 January to Friday 06 April |
| 2nd Term |
Monday 23 April to Friday 20 July |
Monday 23 April to Friday 20 July |
| 3rd Term |
Monday 20 August to Friday 09 November |
Monday 13 August to Thursday 01 November |
Admission of students to Standard I and Form I would be held on Wednesday 11 January 2012.
8. Cabinet has taken note that, on 2 October 2011, the Ministry of Tourism and Leisure would launch a new leisure activity Loisirs Lor Laplaz on the public beach of Flic-en-Flac to promote leisure and recreational activities, encourage people to socialize and promote cultural tourism. The event would also be held in other major public beaches of the country.
9. Cabinet has agreed to the season for net fishing for Mauritius and Rodrigues being extended up to 10 October 2011.
10. Cabinet has taken note that the Seventh Indo-Mauritian Joint Committee on Hydrography will be held in Mauritius on 27 and 28 October 2011 to further discuss, amongst others, Hydrographic Surveys to be undertaken in early 2012 and the provision of expertise and capacity building to reinforce the Hydrographic Unit of the Ministry of Housing and Lands. The Indian Authorities have, so far, conducted 18 Hydrographic Surveys in Mauritius and Rodrigues.
11. Cabinet has taken note that, following the recent official visit of the Prime Minister to the Republic of Botswana, the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology and the Ministry of Transport and Communication of the Republic of Botswana would sign a Memorandum of Understanding to develop cooperation in the field of Information and Communication Technology, and amongst others, share experience, promote capacity building and academic, commercial and industrial exchanges in the field of ICT and Business Process Outsourcing.
12. Cabinet has taken note that the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology of Mauritius and that of the Republic of Namibia would sign a Memorandum of Understanding to further strengthen the economic and scientific cooperation in the field of ICT and to open up possibilities for the establishment of mutual cooperation between enterprises and economic entities of both countries.
13. Cabinet has taken note that the Mauritius Ports Authority would allocate a plot of land to Mo’Zar Espace Artistic, a non-governmental organization, for the setting up of a music school at Roche Bois for the benefit of youngsters. Currently, more than 150 students are enrolled in musical courses with the organization.
14. Cabinet has taken note of the performance of the Mauritian Athletes at the Tenth All Africa Games held in Maputo, Mozambique from 1 to 18 September 2011. Mauritius won 12 medals - 4 Gold, 3 Silver and 5 bronze - and ranked 13th out of 36 participating countries.
15. Cabinet has taken note that the Minister of Health and Quality of Life would promulgate the Medical Council (Medical Institutions) (Amendment) Regulations to provide for the inclusion of the Tongji University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China, in the list of medical institutions recognized by the Medical Council of Mauritius for the purpose of registration.
16. Cabinet has taken note that, on the occasion of the World Mental Health Day 2011 commemorated on 10 October, the Ministry of Health and Quality of Life would organize a cultural programme and an exhibition of creative activities by patients and the staff of the Brown Sequard Mental Health Care Centre and an open Day at Flacq Hospital. The theme chosen for this year is The Great Push, investing in Mental Health.
17. Cabinet has taken note that the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Energy and Public Utilities would promulgate the Water Tariff Regulations, under the Central Water Authority Act, to introduce a new tariff for raw water supplied for aquaculture activities.
18. Cabinet has taken note of the signing of an Agreement between the Government of Mauritius and the Government of the United States of America for additional funding in respect of the feasibility study being conducted on the Transmission Grid and Transformer Monitoring System of the Central Electricity Board to evaluate the current condition of the transmission network and define, inter alia, the mode of operations for the various operating states of the electrical network.
19. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the recent mission of the Minister of Education and Human Resources to Reunion Island where he had, inter alia, a meeting with Mr Michel Lalande, Préfet, on new areas of cooperation in the light of emerging needs in education as a result of reforms being introduced in the Mauritian educational system. The issues discussed include Training of Educators, Special Education Needs Sector, Artistic and Cultural Development of Pupils and Students, and Education for Sustainable Development and Renewable Energy.
20. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the visit of the Minister of Local Government and Outer Islands to the People’s Republic of China from 12 to 20 September 2011. The Minister visited the City of Changzhou to which the Municipal Council of Beau Bassin - Rose Hill is twinned. The object of the visit was to further promote exchanges and cooperation in the fields of economy, trade and education between the City of Changzhou and the Municipal Council of Beau Bassin - Rose Hill. The City of Changzhou has awarded scholarships to two residents of the Township of Beau Bassin – Rose Hill to enable them to pursue degree courses at the Changzhou University.
21. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the recent mission of the Minister of Tourism and Leisure to France, where he participated in the Top Resa Tourism Fair, a leading French business-to-business event for the travel and tourism industry. The main objective of the mission was to reaffirm the unique brand of Mauritius as a niche and
up-market destination. Meetings were held with various stakeholders, the French tour operators, airline companies and media groups.
In the margins of the event, the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority and its counterpart from Reunion Island signed a Memorandum of Understanding with a view to further promoting collaboration as complementary destinations.
22. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the recent mission of the Minister of Gender Equality, Child Development and Family Welfare to Malawi where she participated in the Fifth Meeting of the COMESA Ministers Responsible for Gender and Women’s Affairs. The Meeting, inter alia, adopted proposals for the setting up of the COMESA Women Empowerment Fund, and Trading Houses, and considered the COMESA Gender Mainstreaming Manuals, the Multi-sectoral Programme on HIV/AIDS and the Framework of the Regional Strategy for Mainstreaming Gender in agriculture and climate change.
23. Cabinet has taken note that, following the recommendations made in the Report on a Study on Non-Tariff Barriers, the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Consumer Protection has made arrangements to remove certain items, such as fish, milk, potatoes, onions, shallots, garlic, lemons and limes, from the list of goods requiring import permits.
24. Cabinet has taken note that Mr Baboorunjitsing Goordyal, GOSK, CSK, has been re-appointed Chairperson of the National Pensions Board.
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