His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, today chaired the weekly Cabinet meeting at Gudaibiya Palace.

The Cabinet extended its congratulations to HRH Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the Prime Minister, after his safe return to the Kingdom of Bahrain, highlighting the wide-ranging positive contributions made by HRH towards advancing Bahrain’s sustainable development across all fronts.

The Cabinet noted that motherhood is a central building block of society and mothers throughout the Kingdom continue to receive royal support to strengthen their ability to contribute to both working and family life.

The Cabinet welcomed the widespread public support to combat the Coronavirus (COVID-19), which remains a testament to the Bahraini spirit. The Cabinet added that these efforts include the demonstration of a high-level of awareness and social responsibility, as well as the high volume of volunteering applications received.

Following the meeting, the Cabinet Secretary-General, HE Dr. Yasser bin Issa Al-Nasser, made the following remarks:

1.     The Cabinet commended HM King Hamad’s directive to unite Bahrain’s efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 to safeguard the well-being of citizens and residents, through measures taken by the government, led by HRH the Prime Minister, and HRH the Crown Prince, to introduce a BHD 4.3 billion economic stimulus package to support citizens and the private sector amidst the challenges presented by the global spread of COVID-19.

In line with Article 87 of the constitution, the Cabinet referred to the Legislative Authority an urgent request to amend Article 8 of Decree-Law no. (78) for the year 2006 regarding insurance against unemployment, to enable the government to pay the wages of Bahrainis working in the private sector for a period of three months starting from April 2020.

The Cabinet also decided to take the necessary measures to enable the government to pay the electricity and water bills of all individuals and companies for a period of three months starting from April 2020.

The Cabinet further decided to exempt individuals and businesses from paying the municipality fees included in the electricity and water bills for the months of April, May and June of the year 2020, exempt industrial and commercial enterprises from government industrial land rent fees for the months of April, May and June of the year 2020, and exempt tourist facilities from tourist fees for the three months of April, May and June of the year 2020.

2.     Following the directives of HRH the Prime Minister to Ministers overseeing Bahrain’s health, municipal and commercial sectors to intensify inspection of shops and facilities to ensure they meet official health and safety requirements, the Minister of Works, Municipalities Affairs & Urban Planning presented the outcomes of site inspections carried out across the Kingdom.

3.     The Cabinet referred a memorandum submitted by the Minister of Foreign Affairs to the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislation Affairs for further study. The memorandum sets the framework for setting a Board of Trustees at the Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa Academy for Diplomatic Studies to facilitate the attainment of its goals, develop policy, and supervise administrative, financial and academic work streams.

4.     The Cabinet reviewed a memorandum submitted by the Minister of Labour and Social Development on the ministry’s plans for upcoming job fairs, and the success of 2019 job fairs in facilitating job opportunities for citizens.

5.     The Cabinet approved a memorandum on transferring all data related to national and youth clubs to the civil organizations system at Ministry of Labour and Social Development to maximize the benefits of a unified and integrated electronic database. The memorandum, submitted by the Minister of Youth and Sports Affairs, sets the framework for the transfer of data while preserving data confidentiality.

6.     The Cabinet approved a proposal to expand Raya Road, extending from Galali to Busaiteen, to expand road connectivity for Al Dair, Samaheej and Galali villages. The proposal was submitted by the Council of Representatives.

7.     The Cabinet approved a proposal to build a community health centre in Khalifa Town and the allocation of a budget for the project.

8.     The Cabinet approved a draft of the Government’s response to a proposal from the Council of Representatives to institute preschools for boys in North Sehla, Bu Quwah, Saraya 2 and Jablat Habshi.