Highlights Of Cabinet Meeting – Friday 28 April 2023

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 the promulgation of the Radiation Safety and Nuclear Security (Personal Radiation Monitoring Service) Regulations 2023 to provide for, inter alia, an increase of fees for the issue of personal radiation dosimeter to a subscriber of a personal radiation monitoring service, with effect from 01 July The Radiation Protection (Personal Radiation Monitoring Service) Regulations 2012 would be revoked.
2. Cabinet has taken note of the promulgation of the Income Tax (Angel Investor Allowance) Regulations 2023. The Income Tax (Angel Investor Allowance) Regulations 2023 would lay down the criteria and conditions to qualify as an eligible angel investor and start-up SME, respectively.
3. Cabinet has agreed to the promulgation of the Central Water Authority (Dry Season) (Amendment No. 2) Regulations 2023 to extend its application until 31 May 2023. The Regulations provide for authorisation for irrigation of sugar cane through abstraction of water resources during defined days and time.
4. Cabinet has agreed to the Civil Aviation (Hadj 2023 Pilgrims) (Exemption) Order 2023 being made for the exemption from the payment of the Passenger Solidarity Fee and the Terminal Expansion Fee in respect of pilgrims proceeding on Hadj 2023.
5. Cabinet has agreed to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the field of tourism between the Ministry of Tourism of Mauritius and the Ministry of Tourism of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The main objective of the MoU is to enhance cooperation in the field of tourism and strengthen the existing friendly bilateral ties between the two countries.
6. Cabinet has agreed to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Economic Development Board and the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation, to establish closer cooperation and develop a common strategy which would help to facilitate trade and business relations between Mauritius and Maharashtra. The objectives of the MoU are to:
   • establish a practical framework for cooperation with regard to investment and trade promotion; and
   • strengthen institutional relations and capacity building through cooperation.

The MoU would be signed during the visit of Shri Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister of the State of Maharashtra who was currently on official visit in Mauritius.

7. Cabinet has agreed to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Department for Continental Shelf, Maritime Zones Administration and Exploration and l’Institut de Recherche pour le Développement of France. The objective of the MoU is to strengthen collaboration and enhance cooperation between the two parties in, inter alia, the following areas:

• providing access to up-to-date technologies that facilitate the availability of and access to spatial data;
• capacity building to maintain a marine spatial data infrastructure; and
• collaborating on best practices in geospatial data management.

8. Cabinet has agreed to Mauritius ratifying the Accord portant révision de l’Accord général de coopération entre les Etats membres de la Commission de l’océan Indien. The founding text of the Accord général de coopération was signed by member states in the 1980s. The revised Accord général was signed in March 2020.
9. Cabinet has agreed to Mauritius joining the Global Alliance on Green Economy (GAGE), an initiative of the Government of the United Arab Emirates. The aims of GAGE are to enable and enhance transition to a green economy at global and national levels through the setting- up of a support platform and capacity building.
10. Cabinet has taken note that a workshop of the Western Indian Ocean National Or International SEamounts, banks, submarine structures (WIO – N.O.I.S.E.) would be held at the Department for Continental Shelf, Maritime Zones Administration and Exploration, from 03 to 05 May 2023, to promote scientific exchanges between Mauritian marine researchers and their foreign counterparts.

The main objectives of the workshop, which has been titled as “Multidisciplinary scientific approaches to support regional governance of sites in the Western Indian Ocean: some current issues” are, inter alia, to:

• identify and collate all scientific studies in the region that would support management and governance of underwater formations including seamounts and plateaus in national jurisdiction and areas beyond national jurisdiction; and
• share and present new results and findings from the Monaco Indian Ocean Expedition 2022 and related sciences concerning such structures and formation.

11. Cabinet has taken note that a live conversation would be held on 11 May 2023 between an Emirati astronaut, of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre of the United Arab Emirates, who was currently on board at the International Space Station. Around 300 students from secondary schools of Grades 8 to 12 and tertiary institutions and some 80 students from Rodrigues would participate in the live conversation.
12. Cabinet has taken note that a Workshop on Cybersecurity would be organised by State Informatics Limited on 08 May 2023, with the objective of highlighting the importance of having a well-designed cybersecurity framework to protect the country against cyber threats while also meeting compliance requirements imposed by local regulators. The theme of the Workshop is “Leveraging on a strong Cybersecurity Framework for Risk Reduction and Compliance”.
13. Cabinet has taken note of the findings of the Mauritius Nutrition Survey 2022 conducted by the Ministry of Health and Wellness in collaboration with the Monash University, Australia, the University of Helsinki, Finland, the Umea University Hospital, Sweden and the University of South Florida, United States of America, in August/September 2022.

The Mauritius  Nutrition Survey 2022 has  provided a clear understanding of the typical dietary practices, food choices and eating habits of the Mauritian population aged 5 to 74 years, and their impacts on the nutritional and health status. The Ministry of Health and Wellness would, inter alia, update and formulate the National Plan of Action for Nutrition 2023-2028, strengthen enforcement of Food Regulations and maximise use of digital technologies to motivate behavioural change on nutrition matters in targeted groups.

14. Cabinet has taken note of the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic prevailing in As at 26 April 2023, there were 104 active cases of COVID-19, out of which 30 were admitted at the New ENT Hospital. Over the period 20 to 26 April 2023, two deaths were attributed to COVID-19.
15. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the visit of HE Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary, to Mauritius from 18 to 19 April 2023. Bilateral issues of mutual interest, were discussed on, inter alia, the following –
    • Mauritius and Hungary would explore the possibility of joint collaboration. Project proposals could be prepared which would enable both countries to seek EU financing under the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument;
    • Hungary has agreed to offer scholarships to Mauritian students wishing to study in Hungary; and
    • Mauritius and Hungary would pursue efforts with a view to attracting more tourists from Hungary.
16. Cabinet has taken note of the constitution of the Education Committee set up under the Pharmacy Act with Mr Jawaharduth Bohoorun, Acting Director, Pharmaceutical Services, as part- time Chairperson.