HIGHLIGHTS OF CABINET MEETING – THURSDAY 30 DECEMBER 2021

by | Dec 31, 2021 | Actualités, Société

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 agreed to appropriate Regulations being made to provide for the
following:
(a) the amount to be paid to workers as additional remuneration for year 2022;
(b) the financing of the additional remuneration for year 2022 for employees of the tourism
sector, earning up to Rs50,000 a month;
(c) the financing of the payment of Rs140 as additional remuneration for year 2022 to each
Mauritian worker employed in an Export Oriented Enterprise (EOE), earning up to
Rs50,000 a month, from the special allowance granted under the Workers’ Rights
(Payment of Special Allowance) Regulations;
(d) the maintenance of the payment of the special allowance which was introduced in 2018
to top up the national minimum wage and for the financing of the additional
remuneration for year 2022 for workers in the Tourism sector; and
(e) the adjustment of the national minimum wage by the amount of additional
remuneration payable for the year 2022.

2. Cabinet has agreed to the Consumer Protection (Control of Imports) Regulations 2017 being
amended to classify COVID-19 Rapid Antibody Test, as a prohibited good, in order to ban its
importation into the country.
3. Cabinet has agreed to the promulgation of the Freeport (Amendment) Regulations 2021.
Necessary amendments were brought to the Freeport Act through the COVID-19
(Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2020, to authorise Private Freeport Developers to provide
warehousing facilities for the storage of goods, in a Freeport zone to any person, during the
COVID-19 period and such further period as may be prescribed. In view of the current
situation of the COVID-19 pandemic, the prescribed period has been extended up to 31
December 2022.
4. Cabinet has agreed to Mauritius joining the Colombo Security Conclave as Functional
Member. The Colombo Security Conclave is a trilateral initiative comprising India, Sri Lanka
and Maldives for cooperation in the field of maritime security. The focus of the Colombo
Security Conclave encompasses cooperation in combatting human trafficking, counter
terrorism as well as the protection of critical infrastructure, cyber security, oil pollution
response plan and COVID-19 concerns. The ultimate aim of the Colombo Security Conclave
is to secure the region by working together on a common platform.

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5. Cabinet has taken note that following the heavy rainfall on 26 and 27 December 2021, the
Land Drainage Authority (LDA) carried out an investigation into the causes of the water
accumulation near the market of Rose Hill and had a working session with representatives of
various organisations concerned including Metro Express Ltd, the Municipal Council of
Beau Bassin/Rose Hill, the National Development Unit, the Road Development Authority, the
National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Centre, the Central Water Authority and
Larsen and Toubro. Following an assessment of the situation, several immediate and short
term measures have been proposed by the LDA to address the problem.
6. Cabinet has taken note of the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic prevailing across the world.
Some 283.6 million cases have been reported globally, of which 252.1 million persons have
been successfully treated.
With regard to Mauritius, as at 29 December 2021, there were 477 active cases of COVID-19,
out of which 14 were admitted at the New ENT Hospital. Over the period 16 December to 28
December 2021, 52 deaths were attributed to COVID-19.
Cabinet has also taken note of progress in the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme, including
the administration of the booster dose in the Republic of Mauritius. As at 29 December 2021,
949,894 persons had received a first dose of vaccine (representing 75 percent of the
population). 910,890 persons were fully vaccinated (representing 72 percent of the population).
186,042 persons had received a booster dose (representing 14.7 percent of the population).
Cabinet has further taken note that two repatriation flights have been effected to Rodrigues on
24 December 2021.
7. Cabinet has agreed to the submission of the first Biennial Update Report and the National
Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report for the Republic of Mauritius to the Secretariat of the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). In line with the requirements
of the UNFCCC, the Republic of Mauritius had submitted its First, Second and Third National
Communications in 1999, 2010 and 2017 respectively. A National Communication is a
periodical report which each Party to the Convention prepares to include vulnerability and
adaptation assessments, greenhouse gas inventory preparation, mitigation analysis and
awareness raising activities which can be used for designing mitigation and adaptation policies
and actions to increase its resilience to the impacts of climate change as well as promote a low
emission economy.
8. Cabinet has taken note that due to the prevailing sanitary conditions, the Festival Kiltir Ek
Langaz Kreol Morisien 2021 could not be held. In an endeavour to provide some relief and to
financially support the artists, the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Arts and Cultural
Heritage are proposing that artists who have participated in the last two editions of the Festival,
be allowed to record their performances and thereafter, broadcast same on social media and the
Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation. The Ministry of Tourism would contribute to the cachet
of 35 artists for “Poezi” and 133 groups of artists for “Sega Lontan” and “Konser”. The
Ministry of Arts and Cultural Heritage would meet the cachet for 35 groups of artists for “Sega
Tipik” and four groups for “Teat”, as well as logistics for recording.
9. Cabinet has taken note that in the context of the celebration of the 75 years of Independence of
the Republic of India, a youth delegation comprising 10 young Mauritians, to be accompanied
by two officers of the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Recreation, would
participate in the Republic Day Camp 2022 scheduled from 15 January to 03 February 2022 in
India, under a Youth Exchange Programme.

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10. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the recent participation of the Minister of Land
Transport and Light Rail, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International
Trade, as a panellist, in the Global presentation of UNCTAD Review of Maritime Transport
2021 on 15 December 2021.
The Review of Maritime Transport is an UNCTAD flagship report published annually since
1968. It provides an analysis of structural and cyclical changes affecting seaborne trade, ports
and shipping, as well as an extensive collection of statistics from maritime trade and
development. This year’s edition focused on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the
industry and includes a special chapter on the challenges seafarers face as a result of the
crewing crisis.
In his statement, the Minister highlighted that Mauritius, as a SIDS, was heavily dependent on
maritime transport for international trade as it plays a crucial role in the economic and regional
development of the country. The surge in container freight rates would have devastating
consequences on SIDS economies, which, according to UNCTAD’s prediction, would be hit
the hardest, in view of their remoteness and the fact that they depend primarily on maritime
transport. He informed the panel that the Mauritian Government was fully supportive of the
efforts being undertaken by international institutions such as the International Maritime
Organization, World Trade Organization and UNCTAD, which are at the forefront of Ship
Safety and Security.

Note: Cabinet decisions are available on the internet. The address is http://pmo.govmu.org

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