Décisions du Conseil des Ministres du 29 novembre 2019

Les membres du Cabinet ont pris note que le salaire minimum passe à Rs 10200 à partir du mois de janvier 2019, que la hausse de salaire est de Rs 300.00 payable le 31 janvier 2019 entre autres.

1. Cabinet has agreed to the recommendations made by the National Wage Consultative Council in respect of the revised National Minimum Wage to be effective as from
1 January 2020 which are as follows:

(a) a monthly guaranteed income of Rs10,200 for a worker in a Non Export Oriented Enterprise which comprises the national minimum wage of Rs9,700, inclusive of salary compensation for year 2020, and a special allowance of Rs500 payable by Government;

(b) for a Mauritian worker in an Export Oriented Enterprise, the Council has proposed a monthly guaranteed income of Rs10,200 which includes the national minimum wage of Rs9,000, inclusive of salary compensation for year 2020, and a special allowance of Rs860 plus an additional allowance of Rs340 payable by Government; and

(c) for a migrant worker already in employment up to 31 December 2019, the monthly guaranteed income would be Rs9,860 comprising a national minimum wage of Rs9,000, inclusive of salary compensation for the year 2020, and a special allowance of Rs860.

Cabinet has also agreed to a monthly salary compensation of Rs300 being paid to workers earning up to Rs50,000 monthly as from 1 January 2020.

2. Cabinet has taken note that the Prime Minister would chair the High Level Committee on the Elimination of Violence Against Women which would comprise, inter alia:

(a) the Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Education, Tertiary Education, Science and Technology;

(b) the Minister of Land Transport and Light Rail;

(c) the Minister of Social Integration, Social Security and National Solidarity;

(d) the Minister of Tourism;

(e) the Attorney General, Minister of Agro-Industry and Food Security;

(f) the Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Recreation;

(g) the Minister of Labour, Human Resource Development and Training;

(h) the Minister of Health and Wellness;

(i) the Minister of Gender Equality and Family Welfare;

(j) the Minister of Arts and Cultural Heritage; and

(k) the Minister of Public Service, Administrative and Institutional Reforms.

The mandate of the Committee would be:

(a) to assess the current state of affairs with regard to the elimination of violence against women in terms of legislative framework and its enforcement, policies, procedures and awareness/sensitisation campaigns undertaken; and

(b) to identify problem areas and formulate a new strategy to eliminate violence against women.

3. Cabinet has taken note of the arrangements being made by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Centre to ensure preparedness in view of the 2019-2020 cyclonic season and torrential rains. In this connection, the Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Local Government, Disaster and Risk Management chaired a Committee comprising representatives of relevant Ministries and institutions, including local authorities to take stock of the current situation and actions being taken, inter alia, for the cleaning of drains, rivers and water courses.

Cabinet has also taken note that the Emergency Alert App is already operational and alerts people on natural calamities and safety measures to be followed. It allows users to receive timely information and updates generated by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Centre in case of natural disasters such as cyclones and flash floods.

Cabinet has further taken note that the Ministry of Social Integration, Social Security and National Solidarity has already established the list of evacuee centres for the cyclonic period 2019-2020.

4. Cabinet has agreed to the introduction of the Medical Council (Amendment) Bill into the National Assembly. The object of the Bill is to amend the Medical Council Act to remove the requirement that a person be required to undergo an entry examination before being registered as a pre-registration trainee.

5. Cabinet has agreed to the Rules of Procedure, the Financial Document and the Guiding Principles for Bilateral Co-operation Mechanism under a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Ministry of Energy and Public Utilities and the Ministry of Environment, Land and Sea of the Republic of Italy in February 2018. The Memorandum of Understanding covers cooperation in the field of renewable energy, construction energy efficiency and climate change. The Ministry of Energy and Public Utilities has identified four projects for funding, namely:

(a) installation of roof top solar panels on 200 houses of low income household;

(b) feasibility study for the development of offshore wind farm;

(c) installation of 100 kW PV system at water treatment plants; and

(d) GIS and remote sensing application for management of water resources.
6. Cabinet has taken note that the Medical Council (Continuing Professional Development) (Amendment) Regulations 2019 would be promulgated. The main amendments in the Regulations are as follows:

(a) a general practitioner or specialist would be excused from attending CPD courses or training programmes if he is:

(i) a newly graduated medical practitioner who is given registration by the Medical Council of Mauritius during the period August to December of that particular year; and

(ii) a registered medical practitioner who has resumed practice after coming back to Mauritius from overseas during the period August to December of that particular year;

(b) medical practitioners who follow online CPD courses or e-training programmes approved by the Medical Council of Mauritius would be able to accumulate one credit point; and

(c) registered medical practitioners attending local/international conference would be allowed to accumulate four credit points per day with a maximum of eight per conference.

7. Cabinet has taken note that the Ministry of Health and Wellness has implemented, at the end of September 2019, a web-based Border Health Control System at the Airport, as part of the overall strategy to improve the process of active surveillance of incoming passengers travelling from countries endemic to vector-borne diseases, to prevent the outbreak of such diseases in the country. Under this system, the officers of the Airport Health Office are now able to concurrently input the information retrieved from the Health Declaration Forms of passengers. coming from various countries. The other Health Offices, the Communicable Diseases Control Unit and the Directorate of Public Health of the Ministry of Health and Wellness are now connected to the new system on real time.

8. Cabinet has taken note of the recommendations of the Conference on Diabetes and Associated Diseases held recently in Mauritius. The main recommendations of the Conference were, inter alia, to:

(a) develop and prepare a National Service Framework for NCDs with a strong focus on diabetes given its multiple NCD linkages, complications and comorbidities such as sleep apnea, depression and cognitive dysfunction;

(b) develop and prepare the National Integrated NCD Action Plan;

(c) carry out the Mauritius and Rodrigues NCD Survey and the Mauritius and Rodrigues Nutrition Survey in 2020;

(d) creation of more Health Clubs throughout the country to promote physical activity and healthy lifestyle; and

(e) develop a Cardiovascular Disease Register.
A Steering Committee chaired by the Director Health Services (Non Communicable Diseases and Health Promotion Unit) would be set up to look into the implementation of the recommendations in close collaboration with the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Recreation, the Mauritius Sports Council and other relevant authorities.

9. Cabinet has taken note that the New ENT Hospital would be officially opened to the general public on 2 December 2019.

10. Cabinet has taken note of the progress achieved in the implementation of the National Electronic Licensing System by the Economic Development Board. The key objectives of the National Electronic Licensing System which is co-financed by the European Union are, inter alia, to:

(a) improve the licensing procedures by streamlining the application process and the use of automated workflows;

(b) develop a user-friendly interface for submission of applications 24/7;

(c) provide electronic and online payment facilities;

(d) provide more clarity and certainty to the applicant by introducing an online monitoring and tracking by both applicants and public sector agencies; and

(e) allow data to flow seamlessly among public agencies using the Government’s data sharing platform.

11. Cabinet has taken note of the setting up of a multi-stakeholder Steering Committee to recommend and monitor the implementation of appropriate measures for safeguarding the image, visibility, integrity and repute of the Mauritius International Financial Centre.
The Steering Committee would be chaired by the Ministry of Financial Services and Good Governance and comprise officials from the relevant Ministries and institutions.

12. Cabinet has agreed to the contents of the Southern African Community (SADC) Qualifications Alignment Report and its submission to the SADC Technical Committee on Certification and Accreditation. The Mauritius Qualifications Authority (MQA) which has the mandate to develop, implement and maintain the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) of Mauritius, has agreed to align the NQF with the Southern African Development Community Qualifications Framework (SADCQF) with a view to enhancing the recognition and portability of local qualifications with those of SADC and vice-versa. The SADCQF is a reference framework for education and training. It is a regional mechanism for comparability and recognition of full qualifications, credit transfers, creation of regional standards and facilitation of quality assurance in education and training at regional level.

13. Cabinet has taken note that an International Conference on “The 2019 Cross Country Perspectives in Finance (CCPF), with special theme sessions in Sustainable Development in Developing Countries”, would be held in Mauritius from 30 November to 4 December 2019. The Conference would be co-organised by the Africa Research Center, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Asper School of Business, University of Manitoba and the International Center for Sustainable Tourism and Hospitality, University of Mauritius. The aim of the Conference is to thoroughly examine contemporary global health and medical tourism issues, stimulate dialogue, and develop new perspectives in the field within the globalised environment. Around 70 local and foreign participants would attend the Conference.

14 Cabinet has taken note that the Ministry of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change would organise the “Assises de l’Environnement”
on 16 and 17 December 2019. The objectives of the “Assises” are mainly to ensure a concerted and critical approach in order to address national challenges in the environmental sector and come up with a feasible Master Plan taking into consideration the aspirations of the Mauritian population. Various stakeholders including Ministries, parastatal bodies, the private sector, academia, research institutions, non-governmental organisations and the civil society would be involved in the consultations.

15. Cabinet has taken note of the arrangements being made to ensure availability of livestock and poultry meat for the end of year festivities. No shortage of slaughter cattle, sheep, goat, pork and poultry is expected in December 2019.

16. Cabinet has taken note that in the context of the celebration of Christmas at national level, the following activities would, inter alia, be organised:

(a) the National Christmas Celebrations at the Domaine du Moulin, Goodlands, on
21 December 2019. The programme would include a series of fun activities for children, the Nativity scene, live carols by solo singers and groups, a popular show and a firework display;

(b) a Fun Day for children of the Centres de Lecture et d’Animation Culturelle on
7 December 2019 at the Pointe Canon Open Air Theatre, Mahebourg;

(c) an annual Christmas event by the Nelson Mandela Centre for African Culture on the theme of “200 Voices for Christmas” on 14 December 2019; and

(d) the 22nd edition of “Songs for the Season” by the Conservatoire National de Musique François Mitterrand on 14 and 15 December 2019, at the Caudan Arts Centre, Port Louis.

17. Cabinet has taken note of the activities being organised in the context of World AIDS Day, observed on 1 December, namely:

(a) the launching of activities at the Municipal City Council of Port Louis on
29 November 2019, including HIV Testing and Counselling with a view to encourage people to come forward for the HIV test;

(b) sensitisation programmes on TV and Radio as well as in the Prisons Department;

(c) awareness sessions and HIV Rapid Testing in different communities across the island in the Regional AIDS Units; and

(d) an HIV testing day by PILS at Caudan Waterfront in collaboration with other NGOs and the Ministry of Health and Wellness.

The theme for this year is “Communities make the difference”.

18. Cabinet has taken note that Motorways and Main Roads (Amendment No. 2) Regulations 2019 would be promulgated with a view to classifying the newly constructed Fort William Road as a ‘Main Road B 172’. The Regulations would come into operation on
01 December 2019.