Association for the Protection of the Environment and Consumers
Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth has said that the Government has renewed its offer to enter into a long-term arrangement with the United States to ensure the continued operation of the defence facility in Diego Garcia.
In a statement to the House, Mr Jugnauth pointed out that “such an arrangement would be consistent with the common vision and shared principles of Mauritius and the United States in respect of the rule of law and the United States’ historical support for decolonization.”
A total of 59 cases at preliminary investigation stage have been discontinued by the board of the Independent Commission against Corruption (ICAC) and 11 cases at further investigation stage have been discontinued following the Director of Public Prosecutions’ advice for the period 2002 to 2013.
Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth told Parliament on 24 November 2020 that the power and decision to discontinue an investigation, Prime Minister Jugnauth said that it is vested in the Commission itself as stated under Section 46 (3) of the Prevention of Corruption Act: “Upon receipt of a report under subsection 1 (b) or 2, the Commission shall (a) proceed with further investigation or (b) discontinue the investigation”.
Moreover, he indicated that from 2011 and 2014, no person has been questioned under warning regarding the purchase of properties at Angus Road. He also indicated that the contract of the current Director General of the ICAC has not been expired.
Since January 2015 to October 2020, a total of 2225 cases falling under the Information and Communication Technologies Act 2001 and the Computer Misuse and Cybercrime Act 2003 have been reported to the Central Criminal Investigation Department (CCID)/Cybercrime Unit, Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, told Parliament on 17 November 2020.
Relevant authorities are currently undertaking the continuation of a control exercise of the Mauritian Fruit bats that started in 2019.
The Mauritian Fruit bats are classified as a protected wildlife species under the Native Terrestrial Biodiversity and National Parks Act 2015 and that its population has increased over the years to attain an estimated figure of 106 218 in 2019.
Under section 36 of the Native Terrestrial Biodiversity and National Parks Act 2015, provision is made for the setting up of a technical committee for the purpose of controlling wildlife in Mauritius, that may advise for the control of any wildlife species in the national interest when a species has attained a pest status.
The special technical committee last met on 11 December 2019, and recommended that 10% of the total estimated population is to be controlled, and the exercise was proposed for 2019 and 2020. Control exercise was carried out on a smaller scale in specific sites in December 2019 and some 1709 bats were controlled.
3 842 passengers out of which 3 626 for October and 216 for November, have landed in Mauritius since the partial opening of borders from 01 October 2020 to 05 November 2020.
As from 01st October 2020, any traveller is free to come to Mauritius provided he conforms to the COVID-19 protocols in force in the country, including 4 PCR tests and mandatory quarantine of 14 days in a state designated setting such as hospitals, recreational centres and hotels. The cost of accommodation on full-board basis in hotels, designated by the State as quarantine facilities, is borne by the traveller and all non-Mauritian travellers have to pay a sum of Rs13 500 as medical cost. So far, 801 passengers (including one Mauritian) have travelled to Mauritius from 01 October to 04 November 2020 for the purpose of “holiday, vacation and visit”. 110 persons have benefited from free quarantine since the partial opening and 1 590 paid for quarantine including 19 persons who refused free quarantine facilities
Since March 2020, 10 ventilators have been procured from Ducray Lenoir Ltd and 50 ventilators from Pack and Blister, according to the Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Kailesh Jagutpal.
The 50 ventilators purchased from Pack and Blister were received on 31 July 2020 after clearance of all customs formalities. The equipment is yet to be commissioned as the Ministry of Health and Wellness is still waiting for the arrival of the two technicians from the manufacturing company in Turkey, who will install the machines together with the accessories. The arrival of the technicians has been confirmed for 12 November 2020.
591 cases of sexual abuse recorded since 2018
Since 2018 to date, a total of 591 cases of early/ teenage pregnancies arising from sexual abuse had been recorded, and that in 29 of these cases, the father was a minor.
In 2018, the number of early or teenage pregnancies arising from sexual abuse was 184. In 2019, it reached 215, while from January 2020 to date, 192 cases were recorded.
As for the number of early/teenage pregnancies where the father is a minor, there were nine cases recorded in 2018; ten cases in 2019; and ten cases from January 2020 to date.
Mauritius has registered a negative population growth rate of -0.04 percent in 2019, for the first time since post-independence.
In a “Family Planning and Demographic Yearbook 2019” that provides data on population trends and vital rates, family planning and health service points for the islands of Mauritius and Rodrigues released Friday, the government indicated that the population of Mauritius is ageing due to sustained low fertility level and increasing life expectancy, which in turn is resulting in lower proportion of children and higher proportion of elders in the population.
According to this document, Mauritius is also witnessing a progressive ageing of its older population; and life expectancy at birth has improved considerably and is expected to improve further over the years.
In a “Family Planning and Demographic Yearbook 2019” that provides data on population trends and vital rates, family planning and health service points for the islands of Mauritius and Rodrigues released Friday, the government indicated that the population of Mauritius is ageing due to sustained low fertility level and increasing life expectancy, which in turn is resulting in lower proportion of children and higher proportion of elders in the population.
According to this document, Mauritius is also witnessing a progressive ageing of its older population; and life expectancy at birth has improved considerably and is expected to improve further over the years.
A Climate Change Bill will be introduced soon into the National Assembly. The main object of the Bill is to implement, with a view to addressing the adverse effects of climate change and developing Mauritius into a greener economy, the obligations of Mauritius under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Kyoto Protocol, the Paris Agreement and any other related instrument on climate change. The Bill also establishes a legal framework towards making Mauritius a climate-change resilient and low emission country.