Manama, May 15 (BNA): His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chaired today the weekly cabinet meeting at Gudaibiya Palace.
His Royal Highness directed the Ministry of Finance and National Economy to pay the salaries of all government sector employees on Sunday, May 21. The move aims to reduce the time frame between payments due to the early payment of last month’s salaries and to help government employees cover the cost of living.
HRH also directed the respective government authority to immediately accept 236 eligible pension applications into the Khatwa Home Projects programme, provided that the government pays the additional contributions to ensure that the pension fund is not affected.
His Highness also directed the formation of a government committee to review the cases of 69 employees in the Step Home Projects Program and verify that they meet the retirement pension criteria. The committee was given a month to complete its work.
The Cabinet congratulated the winners of the seventh session of the Prime Minister’s Award for Journalism, highlighting the contributions of the press as part of the Bahrain team in the comprehensive development of the Kingdom.
The Cabinet also congratulated the winners of the 49th Bahrain Annual Fine Arts Exhibition and commented that the annual exhibition supports Bahraini artists and promotes initiatives that enhance the Kingdom’s position in the plastic arts.
Then, the Cabinet welcomed that the new housing finance program won the Best Innovative Program Award for 2023 from the Middle East Economic Digest magazine in the Middle East and North Africa region. In this regard, the Cabinet stressed the importance of adopting innovative housing services to meet the aspirations of Bahraini citizens.
During the meeting, the Cabinet discussed several memorandums approving the following:
1- A memorandum submitted by the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs regarding two draft decrees establishing two diplomatic missions of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the Republic of the Philippines and the Republic of Korea.
2. A memorandum submitted by the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs regarding a memorandum of understanding for cooperation and development of health care, medical education and training between the Ministry of Health and the Arabian Gulf University. This initiative aims to organize training and teaching processes between the two sides and to cooperate in scientific research.
3 – A memorandum submitted by the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs regarding a memorandum of understanding between the Education and Training Quality Authority in Bahrain and the Omani Authority for Academic Accreditation and Education Quality Assurance in the Sultanate of Oman to ensure the quality of education. and the National Qualifications Framework.
4. A memorandum submitted by the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs regarding the appointment of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Agriculture as the supervisor of the Bahrain Green Building Council.
5. A memorandum submitted by the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs regarding the government’s response to four proposals submitted by the House of Representatives.
The Cabinet also referred to the following ministerial reports:
1- The visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the State of Libya to the Kingdom of Bahrain
2. The participation of the Kingdom of Bahrain in the Emirates Climate Technology Conference
3. The participation of the Kingdom of Bahrain in the World Utilities Conference, which was held in Abu Dhabi
4. The visit of the Minister of Sustainable Development to Japan as part of a high-level delegation
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