It was during his New Year’s message. The Prime Minister announced that the old-age pension for those aged 75 and over will rise to Rs 13,500 as of this January. He recalled that in 2019, he had promised an old-age pension of Rs 13,500, and said that he intended to respect his commitment. He explained that his vision is to build a modern, dynamic country. He was also delighted that the minimum income will rise to Rs 18,500 from January 2014. This, he insisted, will enable many Mauritians to have a better life. He reiterated that he will not allow anyone to jeopardize social harmony. Pravind Jugnauth called for the debates to be conducted in a civilized manner. “We must not talk about people’s families,” he said.
The Prime Minister announced that he would be recommending to the Pay Research Bureau that public-sector employees – civil servants, police and firefighters, for example – be paid a double day on Sundays. This will apply from January 1, 2024. Nevertheless, he added that, pending the PRB’s report, these employees will get an allowance equivalent to a double day on Sunday. The Prime Minister’s end-of-year message had an even more political tone than on previous occasions. Pravind Jugnauth announced that he would complete his mandate and go even further.
