CABINET MEETING HELD ON FRIDAY 08 DECEMBER 2017



The Cabinet met today under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister,
the Hon. Pravind Kumar Jugnauth.  The highlights of the deliberations are as follows:

1, Cabinet has taken note that the Minister of Labour, Industrial Relations, Employment and Training would make Regulations to provide for the payment of:

(a)        the national minimum wage of Rs8,140, plus the Additional Remuneration of Rs360, to workers employed in the non-Export-Oriented Enterprises sector;

(b)        the national minimum wage of Rs8,140 with an additional remuneration of Rs360, to workers employed in the Export-Oriented Enterprises sector;

(c)        a Special Monthly Allowance of Rs500 by the Mauritius Revenue Authority to a worker employed in the non-Export-Oriented Enterprises for the period January to December 2018; and

(d)       a Special Monthly Allowance of Rs860 by the Mauritius Revenue Authority to a worker in the Export-Oriented Enterprises for the period January to December 2018.

 

Cabinet has also taken note that the Minister of Labour, Industrial Relations, Employment and Training would make a referral to the National Remuneration Board and the Pay Research Bureau to address any problem of relativity that may arise with the introduction of the national minimum wage.

 

  1. Cabinet has taken note that as from January 2018, the monthly basic pension payable to the elderly, widows, and persons with disabilities would be increased from Rs5,450 to Rs5,810. Allowances under the Social Aid Act, the Unemployment Hardship Relief Act, and the Child Allowance paid under the Social Integration and Empowerment Act based on school attendance would be adjusted by the estimated inflation rate of 3.6%.

 

  1. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the recent missions of the Hon Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, Prime Minister to The Hague and Côte d’Ivoire. In the Hague, the Prime Minister attended a meeting with the legal advisers on the written submissions to be made to the International Court of Justice, following the adoption of UN General Assembly Resolution 71/292 requesting an Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice on the legal consequences of the separation of the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965.

 

In Côte d’Ivoire, the Prime Minister attended the AU-EU Summit.  The theme of the Summit was “Investing in Youth for a Sustainable Future”.  During the Summit, panel discussions were held on:

 

(a)        Mobilizing investments for African structural and sustainable transformation;

(b)        Investing in people through education, science, technology and skills development;

(c)        Strengthening resilience, peace, security and governance; and

(d)       Managing mobility and migration.

The Prime Minister had a series of bilateral meetings, as well as discussions on the Chagos issue, with Heads of State and Government, and Ministers of various countries, including, Austria, Botswana, Cape Verde, the Comoros, the Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Ghana, Hungary, Lesotho, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malta, the Netherlands, Romania, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda, as well as with the Secretary General of the United Nations.

 

The Prime Minister was also invited as Chief Guest to a ceremony of the laying of foundation stone of the Twin Cyber Towers project in Grand Bassam, Côte d’Ivoire.  The project is being implemented with the joint collaboration of the Mauritius Africa Fund, and the Village des Technologies de l’information et de la Biotechnologie of Côte d’Ivoire.

 

  1. Cabinet has taken note that the Sega tambour of Rodrigues has been inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity at the 12th Session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO.

 

  1. Cabinet has taken note of the constitution of the National Economic and Social Council under the chairmanship of the Hon Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, Prime Minister. The Council would comprise Ministers, and representatives of the private sector, the civil society, academia and the public sector.  The objectives of the Council are to address key socio-economic issues, and strengthen dialogue with the private sector and the civil society as a means of achieving consensus for social integration and keeping pace with economic development.

 

  1. Cabinet has taken note that the salary for the month of December and the end-of-year
    bonus 2017, would be paid to public officers on 15 December 2017.

 

  1. Cabinet has taken note that the Prime Minister would, henceforth, chair the Ministerial Committee on the Clean Up and Embelishment Campaign. The objectives of the Committee are to ensure an effective coordination between the public and the private agencies responsible for cleaning and maintenance, and take action for the prompt cleanliness of the various regions of the country.

 

  1. Cabinet has agreed to the introduction of the National Flag (Amendment) Bill into the National Assembly. The object of the Bill is to amend the National Flag Act 2015 to:

 

(a)        afford better legal protection to the national flag; and

(b)        provide that on the occasion of Independence Day and Republic Day, or such other national event as may be prescribed, a person may exhibit a flag as the national flag or exhibit on any item or article an image of the national flag as the national flag:

(i)         without that flag, or any image of the national flag, complying with the proportion of 3 horizontally to 2 vertically; but

(ii)        subject to that flag, or image of the national flag, being displayed horizontally and bearing the colours red, blue, yellow and green in that order.

 

  1. Cabinet has agreed to the introduction of the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons which may be Deemed to be Excessively Injurious or to have Indiscriminate Effects Bill into the National Assembly. The objects of the Bill are to:

(a)        give effect to the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons which may be Deemed to be Excessively Injurious or to have Indiscriminate Effects, and to its Protocols; and

(b)        provide for the protection of civilians and civilian populations, as well as the post-armed conflict measures.

 

  1. Cabinet has taken note of the recommendations contained in the Concept Paper relating to Human Resource Management, and the Implementation Guidelines prepared by
    Ms Kelly Culver, Consultant, in the context of the elaboration of the Public Sector Business Transformation Strategy. The objectives of the Paper are to create an enabling environment to facilitate transformational change across the Civil Service, accelerate productivity, performance and results while instilling a new work culture and ethos among public officers leading to behavioural and mindset changes.

 

  1. Cabinet has taken note that the Minister of Public Infrastructure and Land Transport would make the Road Traffic (Construction and Use of Vehicles) (Amendment) Regulations to provide for the technical specifications of high-floor and double-decker buses.

 

  1. Cabinet has taken note of the status in the implementation of the Safe City Project as announced in Budget Speech 2017-2018. The Project would comprise, among others:

 

(a)        Intelligent Video Surveillance for 2,000 sites;

 

(b)        setting up one Convergent Command and Control Centre, including an Emergency Response System; and

 

(c)        one Traffic Monitoring Centre.

 

  1. Cabinet has taken note of the performance of the Export-Oriented Enterprises Sector for the period January to September 2017, as compared to the same period in 2016. Increase had been recorded in the value of exports of textiles (Yarns and Fabrics), fish and fish preparations, medical devices, and watches and clocks.  Growth had been recorded in exports to Spain, the Netherlands, Germany, and South Africa. The Speed-to-Market Scheme, that was put in place to give a boost to the textile and apparel export to European countries, and enhance product delivery, has been extended to medical devices, jewellery, fruits, flowers, chilled fish, articles of leather, footwear, watches, and fabric plush toys.  Moreover, since September 2017, the Exchange Rate Support Scheme has been introduced to provide a buffer to export-oriented enterprises exporting in US dollar against downward fluctuation of the currency.

 

  1. Cabinet has taken note of the recent mission of the Minister of Ocean Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries and Shipping to South Africa where he attended the Joint Meeting of SADC Ministers responsible for Environment and Natural Resources, Fisheries and Aquaculture, and Tourism. The meeting provided an opportunity to Ministers to take stock of progress made in the implementation of the different SADC Protocols, as well as discuss the problem of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

 

  1. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the recent mission of the Hon P. Jhugroo, then Minister of Local Government and Outer Islands, to Malta, where he participated in the Commonwealth Local Government Forum. The conference offered a unique opportunity to Commonwealth countries to learn about the latest policy developments, and share and exchange ideas and experiences. It also allowed Local Government Officers, and elected Local Government Councillors from across the Commonwealth to come together and discuss and agree on new policies touching the Local Government Sector.  The theme of the Conference was “Fit for the future: Resources and capacity for effective local government”.

 

  1. Cabinet has taken note that the two Grand Winners of the Public Service Excellence
    Award 2016 are Sir Leckraz Teelock State Secondary School of Central Flacq and La Tour Koenig Police Station. Based on the level of achievement, a souvenir trophy and a cash prize had also been awarded to:

 

(a)        the Civil Status Division for customer-centered service delivery;

(b)        the Flacq Hospital Haemodialysis Unit for leadership and team spirit;

(c)        the Main Control Room of the Mauritius Fire and Rescue Service, for efficiency and effectiveness; and

(d)       the Gastroenterology Department of Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam National Hospital for innovation and improvement.

 

The aims of the Award are to recognise and reward efforts of Ministries/ Departments and their respective Sections/Divisions/Units which have successfully strived to improve service delivery.  The theme of the Public Service Excellence Award – Edition 2016 was “Excellence – Doing ordinary things extraordinarily well

 

  1. Cabinet has taken note of the appointment of Mr Arnaud Martin as Chairperson of the Mauritius Film Development Corporation.

 

  1. Cabinet has taken note of the reconstitution of the MAURITAS Accreditation Committee with Mr Droneraj Purgas as Chairperson.

 

  1. Cabinet has taken note of the reconstitution of the MAURITAS Advisory Council with
    Dr Dinesh Kumar Hurreeram as Chairperson.

 

 

 

                                                                                         Government Information Service

                                                                                         Prime Minister’s Office

08 December 2017                                                          Port Louis

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