Premier orders to distribute housing units, recruit medical graduates

Manama, May 28 (BNA): His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa has given directives to expedite the distribution of completed units in the housing projects. These include units in the East Hidd housing town, in addition to 280 units in the Al-Buhair housing project, whose distribution has been delayed due to the non-completion of the infrastructure works there. HRH Premier, while chairing the regular weekly Cabinet session at the Gudaibiya Palace today, instructed the Housing Ministry to speed up the completion of the infrastructure and facilities that serve the two projects to ensure they are handed over to beneficiaries as soon as possible,  The Prime Minister stressed the need to beautify the sites of housing projects, and ensure their environmental protection, a statement by the Cabinet Secretary-General, Dr. Yasser bin Isa Al-Nasser, said. In another context, HRH Premier gave directives to provide more tourist attractions, such as beaches, islands and parks that could attract tourists and provide an outlet for the citizens. On health, the Prime Minister instructed the Ministry of Health to follow up on the developments of the Indian “Nipah” virus, take all precautionary measures at border crossings, and intensify preventive health measures to prevent its entry into the country.  In the same context, HRH Premier gave directives to the of Ministry of Health to coordinate with the Supreme Council of Health, the High Training Committee and other competent authorities to provide alternatives, adopt initiatives and come up with urgent solutions that ensure the recruitment of new graduates of various medical disciplines in the public and private sectors.  Then, the session reviewed the memoranda on its agenda, and took the following decisions: Reports on Consolidated Final Account, budget performance approved  The cabinet approved a report on the Consolidated Final Account of the State", and another on the implementation and performance of the general state budget for the fiscal year 2017. The session was informed about the professional opinion of the National Audit Office regarding the Consolidated Final Account of the State, and decided to take  the required constitutional procedures ahead of referring the two reports to the Legislative Branch before May 31, as required by the Constitution. Customs Affairs to be re-structured  The cabinet approved a proposal to re-structure the Customs Affairs at the Ministry of Interior to ensure smoother work flow, avoid overlapped tasks and achieve the security and economic goals. The re-structuring was based on the Civil Service Bureau’s recommendations, highlighted in the presentation given by the Deputy Premier and Deputy Chairman of the Civil Service Council, based on a memorandum submitted by the Minister of Interior in this regard.  The relevant authorities were requested to take the necessary procedures to re-structure the Customs Affairs. Bahrain’s first Voluntary National Review on SDGs endorsed  The session endorsed Bahrain’s First Voluntary National Review (VNR) on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which will be presented before the UN Economic and Social Council at the ministerial meeting of the High-Level Political Forum to be held in New York in July. Presented by the Cabinet Affairs Minister, the VNR highlights the progress made by Bahrain regarding the achievement of SDGs 2030. The cabinet approved the kingdom’s participation in the ministerial meeting with a delegation to be led by the Cabinet Affairs, and to include representatives of the parties that had prepared Bahrain’s VNR. Draft-resolution on sending electronic signature, records discussed The cabinet discussed a draft resolution submitted by the Minister of the Interior on the technical requirements for sending, receiving and updating the records and electronic signatures of the public bodies. The draft-resolution, which was referred to the Ministerial Committee for Legal Affairs, is in line with the efforts of the government to keep pace with the technological developments by expanding the use of communication between individuals and institutions in accordance with updated legal regulations. 12 career expos planned in 2018 The session reviewed the outcomes of the various career expos, held in 2017 as part of the government’s efforts to create new job opportunities that appeal to Bahraini job seekers. A presentation by the Minister of Labour and Social Development showed that during nine career expos that had been held in 2017, 3,269 job-seekers had been recruited, and 7,754 others joined the training programmes that suited their needs. The cabinet praised the role of such career expos in supporting employment and training efforts, and endorsed the Labour and Social Development Ministry’s plan to hold 12 employment expos in 2018. Telecom masts’ emissions at safe levels: Reports  Part of the session was devoted to reviewing the impacts of the emissions from electromagnetic waves of the telecommunications masts and towers, as well as the radiological emissions from public radio broadcasting stations in the Kingdom of Bahrain. A report by the Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications said that a study carried out by a consulting firm specialised in measuring electromagnetic emissions from communication towers on more than 2,500 telecommunications’ masts found that the emissions from telecom towers did not exceed the levels and standards permitted internationally, according to the criteria adopted by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP), Another report presented by the Cabinet Affairs Minister and submitted by the Supreme Council for Environment showed that the levels of radiological emissions from public radio broadcasting stations in Bahrain are low compared with those recommended by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP).  The cabinet requested the relevant authorities to continue studying the effects of emissions to ensure that they are always within the allowed international standards. Two draft-laws referred to Representatives Council  The session referred two draft-laws to the Council of Representatives, along with the government’s opinion on them. They included a bill on amending some provisions of Law 13/1975 on the regulation of retirement pensions and gratuities for government employees, and another on amending some provisions of the Social Insurance Law, promulgated by Decree-Law 24/1976.