Highlights Of Cabinet Meeting – Friday 24 June 2022

The   Cabinet   met   today    under   the   chairmanship    of   the    Acting   Prime Minister, the Hon. Louis Steven Obeegadoo. The highlights of the deliberations are as follows:

1. Cabinet has agreed to the signing of:

• a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Industrial Development, SMEs and Cooperatives and the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises of the Republic of India on cooperation in the field of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises;
• a Memorandum of Understanding between SME Mauritius Ltd and the National Institute for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Republic of India on cooperation in the field of micro, small and medium enterprises;
• a Memorandum of Understanding between SME Mauritius Ltd and the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India on cooperation in the field of technical assistance in fostering entrepreneurship among SMEs as well as transfer of technology; and
• a Memorandum of Understanding between SME Mauritius Ltd and the Central Footwear Training Institute of India on cooperation in the field of training, technology transfer and promotion of products and services offered by SMEs.

2. Cabinet has taken note of the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the State Trading Corporation and the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) for the procurement of rice, wheat, edible oil and other agricultural NAFED is an agency of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare in India, and has the mandate to procure, supply and export various agricultural commodities from India.
3. Cabinet has taken note of the activities being organised by the Cooperatives Division of the Ministry of Industrial Development, SMEs and Cooperatives to mark the International Day of Cooperatives, to be celebrated on 02 July 2022. The theme chosen for this year by the United Nations and the International Cooperative Alliance is: “Cooperatives Build a Better World”. The following activities would, inter alia, be organised:

• a wreath laying ceremony on 30 June 2022 at Les Jardins de la Compagnie, Port Louis together with the Mauritius Cooperative Alliance Ltd;
• a ‘Gathering of Cooperators’ at the National Co-operative College, Bois Marchand on 02 July 2022;
• a training session on 30 June and 01 July 2022 on the preparation of selected Rodriguan dishes to be provided by six women cooperators from Rodrigues at the National Cooperative College;
• holding of a Cooperative market fair at Quatre Bornes on 04 July 2022; and
• radio talks on the cooperative movement in Mauritius and Rodrigues.

4. Cabinet has agreed to Mauritius nominating the villages of Bel Ombre, Grand Baie and Trou d’Eau Douce to participate in the second edition of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) “Best Tourism Villages” Initiative. The overarching objective of the Initiative is to make tourism a positive force for transformation, rural development and community wellbeing, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals.

The selected villages under the “Best Tourism Villages” Initiative could benefit from one of the following:

• the “Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO” recognition, which represents an outstanding example of a rural tourism destination with recognised cultural and natural assets, which preserves and promotes rural and community-based values, products and lifestyle and has a clear commitment to innovation and sustainability; or
• the “Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO” Upgrade Programme, whereby selected villages would receive support from UNWTO and its Partners in improving elements of the areas identified as gaps in the evaluation process.

Last year, Le Morne and Old Grand Port villages were awarded the ‘Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO’ recognition.

5. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the 22nd African Senior Athletics Championships held in Mauritius at the Côte d’Or National Sports Complex from 08 to 12 June 2022. A total of 785 athletes and officials from 47 countries participated in the
6. Cabinet has taken note of the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic prevailing across the world. Some 546.7 million cases have been reported globally, of which 522.3 million persons have been successfully

With regard to Mauritius, as at 22 June 2022, there were 268 active cases of COVID-19, out of which 17 were admitted at the New ENT Hospital. Over the period 16 to 22 June 2022, one death was attributed to COVID-19.

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

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