Highlights Of Cabinet Meeting – Friday 26 January 2024

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 Social Contribution and Social Benefits (Independence Allowance) Regulations 2024 would be promulgated to provide for, where an eligible youth is a person with disabilities and is unable to open a bank account, the Mauritius Revenue Authority (MRA) would effect payment of the allowance, administratively, in a bank account held by another person as the Director-General of the MRA may approve. The Regulations would be deemed to have come into effect as from 23 November 2023.
2. Cabinet has agreed to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Mauritius Institute of Biotechnology Ltd and the Serum Institute of India Pvt Ltd. The Memorandum of Understanding would provide, inter alia, for cooperation in the following areas:
   • support implementation of project involving production of antibodies from transgenic animals in Mauritius;
   • protect Intellectual Property related to the project;
   • facilitate funding of the project;
   • setting up of biotechnology laboratory facilities; and
   • marketing and commercialisation of products.
3. Cabinet has taken note of the activities being organised for the commemoration of the 189^th Anniversary of the Abolition of Slavery in Mauritius, which also coincides with the 30^th Anniversary of the UNESCO Routes of the Enslaved People and the end of the United Nations Decade for People of African Descent 2015-2024. HE Mr Wavel Ramkalawan, President of the Republic of Seychelles would be the Chief Guest for the occasion. The Ministry of Arts and Cultural Heritage in collaboration with Le Morne Heritage Trust Fund, the National Heritage Fund and the Nelson Mandela Centre for African Culture would organise, inter alia, a series of activities as follows:
   • a wreath laying ceremony at ‘Bassin des Esclaves’, Pamplemousses on 30 January 2024;
   • a wreath laying ceremony at the ‘Monument aux Esclaves’, Pointe Canon, Mahebourg on 31 January 2024;
   • a wreath laying ceremony at the International Slave Route Monument and a cultural programme at Le Morne Public Beach on 01 February 2024;
   • live cooking and culinary tasting of traditional food by Le Morne Heritage Trust Fund in collaboration with Ecole Hôtelière Sir Gaëtan Duval at the Mahogany Shopping Promenade, Beau Plan on 03 February 2024; and
   • an exhibition cum sale of artworks on the theme ‘A New Iconography of Slavery’ by the Nelson Mandela Centre for African Culture at Lespas Lar, La Tour Koenig, on 15 February 2024 followed by the launching of a comic book on slavery by author Stanley Harmon.
4. Cabinet has taken note that Iberojet, a Spanish airline, has announced the operations of:
   • a weekly flight from Madrid to Mauritius from 17 June to 23 September 2024 (15 flights); and
   • a weekly flight from Lisbon and Barcelona to Mauritius from 27 June to 12 September 2024 (12 flights).
5. Cabinet has taken note that the 4^th Universal Periodic Review (UPR) was held on 24 January 2024 at the United Nations Office in Geneva and 122 Member States participated in the The UPR Working Group was scheduled to adopt the recommendations on 26 January 2024.
6. Cabinet has taken note of the reconstitution of the Veterinary Council of Mauritius for the period 2024 to 2026.