Manama: Mahmood Rafique, Editor: The weekly Cabinet meeting which convened on Monday condemned the Houthi militias’ terrorist attacks against civilians and civilian targets in Saudi Arabia using ballistic missiles and drones.
The session commended the success of the Saudi Air Defence Forces and their efficiency in dealing with these attacks and thwarting them, stressing that targeting civilians and civilian neighbourhoods is a cowardly aggression and a heinous crime for its flagrant violation of the rules of international law.
This came as His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa chaired the regular weekly Cabinet session, attended by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Premier.
HRH Premier extended congratulations to the graduates from the General Certificate of Secondary Education for their success and distinction despite the exceptional circumstances and challenges resulting from the outbreak of the novel coronavirus the COVID-19, calling on them to continue their success path.
The Prime Minister extended thanks to parents, and the Education Ministry’s affiliates for their dedication and perseverance to finish the academic year, Cabinet Secretary-General, Dr. Yasser bin Isa Al-Nasser, said in a statement following the session which was held via the video conferencing technology.
The Prime Minister lauded the Kingdom’s achievements in the field of housing, and extended thanks to service ministers for their field visits to villages and towns to collect first-hand information about the local citizens’ needs, citing the Housing Minister’s recent visit to the Al-Salhiya village.
The Minister briefed the session about a proposal to implement a housing project that would serve the Al-Salhiya villagers.
The Ministerial Committee for Development and Infrastructure Projects was requested to study the establishment of a housing project for the Al-Salhiya village.
HRH Premier directed the Ministry of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning to reschedule the financial dues with the Ministry on some of the butchers in the Manama Central Market and the Jid Hafs Market.
The Prime Minister directed the Ministry of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments to cooperate with the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (BACA) and take the necessary procedures to preserve historical and heritage mosques, including the Ahmed Al-Fateh Mosque, and the Ahmed Al-Fateh grave in Manama.
The session welcomed the resolutions of the Arab League Council at the ministerial level on Libya, noting that they reinforce the efforts and initiatives to resolve the Libyan crisis peacefully, and warning of the consequences of the ongoing military action there.
The cabinet also backed the Arab League Council’s resolutions in support of the stances of Egypt and Sudan vis-à-vis Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
The session referred a draft-law on the Kingdom’s accession to Bonn Convention to the Council of Representatives, as recommended by the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs and presented by the Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the same committee.
The cabinet approved the bonus and allowance scale for athletes, in appreciation of their achievements for the Kingdom at the regional and international sports gatherings.
The scale determines the value of bonuses to be granted to the athletes of national clubs that clinch one of the first three places at GCC, Arab, Asian or international individual or collective sports competitions.
The session approved a draft-law on bonus scale for athletes, as highlighted in memorandum of the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs and presented by the Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the same committee, as well as the Minister of Youth and Sports Affairs.
The cabinet agreed to cancel the Vessel Traffic Management System (VTMS) charges included in the sixth schedule accompanying the ministerial edict 15/2017 on Ports and Maritime Navigation charges.
The session approved a draft edict in this regard, as recommended by the Ministerial Committee for Financial and Economic Affairs and the Fiscal Balance in the memorandum submitted by the Deputy Premier and Chairman of the same committee.
The cabinet reviewed a draft-law drafted based on two proposals by the Council of Representatives on amending Article (35) of the Labour Law in the Private Sector promulgated by Law 36/2012.
The bill was referred to the Representatives Council, along with a memorandum including the government’s opinion on it.
The Cabinet approved a proposal submitted by the Council of Representatives on naming several imams and muezzins in the Kingdom’s main mosques.
Imams and muezzins will be named for ten mosques this year.
The session endorsed a plan under which the Ministry of Health will create a one-day surgery hospital system.
The new medical facilities will be provided with the necessary competencies and modern equipment.
The Cabinet endorsed the government’s response to a proposal on granting housing units for those who served Bahrain in the media, academic and other fields in case of their infirmity or accidents or to their families in case of their death.
The Cabinet reviewed a report submitted by the Minister of Education on the school results for this year, and the preparations for the next academic year.
The same minister also briefed the session about the UNESCO Education for All Report in which Bahrain’s efforts in this regard were praised.
The session also reviewed two reports submitted by the Foreign Affairs Minister on the Arab League extraordinary ministerial meetings on Libya, Ethiopia Renaissance Dam and UNRWA.
The session also reviewed a report by the Youth and Sports Affairs Minister on the strategic partnership agreement to operate the Youth Ministry’s Creativity Centre.
