This was discussed during the weekly Cabinet meeting led by His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa at the Gudaibiya Palace, in the presence of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Premier.
HRH Premier lauded the crucial role played by HRH Crown Prince in attracting international sports events to the kingdom, which has enhanced the kingdom’s position as a pioneering centre of world motor sports.
The Cabinet tasked the ministries of Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning, Housing, Health and Finance to cooperate and coordinate with the Ministerial Committee on Services and Infrastructure to take the necessary procedures to pump out stagnant water from swamps, especially those in Galali, Al-Buhair and Dar Kulaib, and fill them so as to protect the citizens from mosquitos and insects which cause harm to them.
HRH Premier instructed the concerned ministries to address all problems that pose a threat to the citizens’ health and safety, ordering the relevant officials to intensify field visits so as be informed closely about the ecological problems and coordinate with the concerned sides on the spot, without having to wait for state bodies to take action.
HRH Premier updated the cabinet on the visit he paid, along with HRH Crown Prince, to Beit Al-Tijjar, praising the efforts of the trade sector to revitalize the national economy and instructing the concerned sides to study the demands made by the business community during the visit thoroughly and put forward the appropriate solutions to them.
HRH Premier informed the cabinet about the issuance of an edict establishing a Committee to Control and Rational Spending, and Increase Revenues and Productivity of ministries and state departments, under the chairmanship of Deputy Premier Shaikh Khalid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa.
The cabinet also welcomed its new member Major-General Adel bin Khalifa Al-Fadhel following his recent appointment as Minister of State for Internal Affairs, wishing him every success.
The cabinet endorsed and referred to the National Assembly a draft law on amending article (214) of the Penal Code issued in 1976. Under the amendment, a maximum 5-year prison term and a fine not exceeding BD 10,000 shall be inflicted upon any person who offends Royalty, the national flag or emblem.
Regarding the projects included in the government work plan, the Ministerial Committee on Services and Infrastructure informed the cabinet about the progress of their implementation, asserting that 63% have been completed.
The cabinet called for the need to commit to time limit of projects, especially the service ones, and not use the delay in the approval of the state budget as a pretext.
The safety regulations for small cargo ships that are not covered by international maritime treaties in the GCC states, adopted by the GCC Supreme Council during its 32nd session, held in Riyadh in 2011, was were also approved during today’s session.
The cabinet referred to the Ministerial Committee on Legal Affairs a draft Agreement on Encouraging and Protecting Joint Investments between Bahrain and Bangladesh.
The cabinet also approved proposals submitted by the Representatives Council on the Education Ministry’s project to introduce e-curricula and programmes project in all schools, intensifying awareness-raising campaigns against drugs through educational curricula and the media and the establishment of a training centre to preserve traditional professions and handicrafts across the Kingdom’s governorates.
The draft law on amending article (39) of law (24) for 1976 regarding social insurance was referred to the legislative authority, along with a memorandum explaining the government’s opinion.