HRH Premier chairs regular weekly Cabinet session

Manama, Oct. 7 (BNA): 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, at the Gudaibiya Palace today. 4th Government Forum’s outcomes praised The session lauded the outcomes of the fourth Government Forum, held under the patronage of HRH the Prime Minister, and following an initiative by HRH the Crown Prince, praising the Forum’s projects and initiatives aimed at supporting the development of the government action system and building on the previous achievements, a statement by the Cabinet Secretary-General, Dr. Yasser bin Isa Al-Nasser, said. Premier’s speech praised The session lauded HRH Premier’s speech at the second edition of the "Bahrain Visions Forum: Shared Visions for a Successful Future", held at the UN Headquarters recently, commending the Prime Minister’s visions and initiatives that would contribute to the adaptation of the issues of peace and stability in the service of development purposes and to devoting the necessary values to achieve progress in sustainable development. The cabinet also welcomed the positive international response to HRH Premier’s initiative following which the UN General Assembly adopted April 5 as an International Day of Conscience. The session was commenting on a presentation given by the Cabinet Affairs Minister on the results of the "Bahrain Visions Forum: Shared Visions for a Successful Future", as well as the events and high-profile meetings held on its sidelines. Premier’s directives to meet Barbar villagers’ needs HRH the Prime Minister, in line with his constant keenness to ensure that the citizens have access to government services that satisfy them, gave directives to provide and meet the service, housing, educational and municipal needs of Barbar and neighbouring villagers, and requested the relevant officials to visit those regions and submit a report on their needs. Ministry tasked to revamp roads The Prime Minister tasked the Ministry of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning to continue developing and revamping the internal road networks in villages, including Samaheej and Dair. Service ministries to intensify inspection campaigns HRH the Prime Minister instructed the service ministries in charge of the health, municipal and trade sectors, to intensify inspection campaigns and increase them in outlets and facilities to ensure their commitment to the health and safety requirements. Bill referred to Executive Committee The session referred a draft-law regulating the work of the Individual Labour Dispute Settlement Authority, submitted by the Labour and Social Development Ministry, to the Executive Committee, based on a recommendation by the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs on it. Quarterly economic report reviewed The cabinet reviewed the quarterly economic report of the Kingdom for the second quarter of 2019, submitted by the Ministry of Finance and National Economy, the results of which reflect the continued positive growth of the national economy in parallel with the Fiscal Balance Programme, supported by the diversification and robust performance of non-oil sectors. Performance indicators show that the economy grew by 3.4% compared to the first quarter of 2019, with the real GDP reaching BD 3.24 billion. The non-oil sector recorded a growth rate of 1.2% at constant prices during the second quarter compared to the same period last year 2018, while oil sector growth slowed by 0.8%. They also reveal that the non-oil sectors continued to support the economic growth in the Kingdom, with the hotels and restaurants sector, which grew by 8.7%, topping the most developed sectors, followed by the building and construction sector (4%) and the transportation and telecommunications sector (3.4%). The positive statistics issued by the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) also indicated that the performance of the financial projects sector had posted a 2.6% growth, which entitles it to lead non-oil sectors regarding their contributions to the kingdom’s GDP, with 16.4 %. It is followed by the manufacturing sector (14.1%) and the government services sector (13.3%). BCCI Law to be amended The session discussed amending the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) Law within the framework of the kingdom’s efforts to find the most effective initiatives that would encourage investment in all its forms, and respond to the requirements of sustainable development. In this context, Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism presented the main features of this amendment, which were included in a draft-law on amending some provisions of Decree Law 48/ 2012 with regard to the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The bill was referred to the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs. Two bills presented by Transportation Minister referred to ministerial committee The cabinet reviewed a draft-law on the certification of Marine Stewardship companies, and another on the regulation of the licenses granted to maritime guides and drivers of locomotives in Bahraini ports. Highlighted in a presentation by the Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications, the bills were referred to Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs. Parliamentary proposals approved The cabinet approved the government's replies to three proposals, as recommended by the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs and outlined in a memorandum presented by the Minister of Education and the Deputy Chairman of the panel. The three proposals were related to the installments for the use of housing units in block (909), compensation for the rain-affected citizens and the public facilities in the Salman Town. Ministerial reports The cabinet was informed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs on the results of the kingdom’s participation in the 74th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York. The minister highlighted the high-level meetings held with the heads of delegations, the signed agreements and memoranda of understanding and the events held by the kingdom on the sidelines of the 74th Session of the UN General Assembly.