Manama, January 24 (BNA) His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister chaired today the weekly meeting of the Council of Ministers at Al-Qudaibiya Palace.
In celebration of World Education Day, the Council of Ministers commended the education workers in the Kingdom, and thanked them for their efforts to continue the educational process in the best way in exceptional circumstances throughout the outbreak of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
The Cabinet encouraged the workforce in the education sector to continue supporting government programs that would develop the national education sector, and contribute to the comprehensive development of the Kingdom, under the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
The Cabinet decided to activate a unified system for internal auditing of government agencies.
The new system ensures greater oversight of agencies and is based on specific audit frameworks.
The Cabinet also approved the unified guide for internal auditing of government agencies.
The guide is a draft Government Priorities Framework, with the aim of further enhancing the government’s internal audit capacity, assisting internal auditors to adhere to the best professional auditing standards and practices, and strengthening the internal audit framework for the public sector.
In this regard, His Highness the Crown Prince and the Prime Minister directed to activate the unified system of internal auditing and circulate the evidence to all ministries and government agencies.
The Cabinet condemned and denounced the Houthi attacks on civilian targets in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, stressing that they violate international law.
The Cabinet expressed its condolences to the families of the victims, wishing the injured a speedy recovery.
The Cabinet affirmed Bahrain’s support for Saudi Arabia and the UAE in their response to terrorist attacks and the implementation of measures to protect their national security.
In this regard, the Cabinet welcomed the statement issued by the United Nations Security Council and the League of Arab States condemning the attack on the United Arab Emirates.
During the meeting, the Council of Ministers discussed a number of memoranda with the following results:
Agree to the following notes:
1. A memorandum by the Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism regarding measures aimed at promoting investment and commercial activity.
2- The memorandum of the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs regarding the government’s response to two proposals from the House of Representatives.
The Cabinet reviewed the following topics:
1. A memorandum from the Ministerial Committee for Financial and Economic Affairs and Fiscal Balance regarding the complete electronic transfer of government revenues and payment services, to provide effective services around the clock to citizens and residents without the need for a personal presence in the Ministry’s premises.
2. The memorandum of the Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism regarding the electronic transformation of 22 services within the industrial development sector in the Ministry.
3. The memorandum of the Minister of Electricity and Water Affairs regarding the latest developments in the field of installing smart meters and the completion of 100% of the installations for citizens in their first residence with open accounts.
Smart meters will ensure accuracy and efficiency in calculating consumption.
The Council then reviewed the ministerial reports related to the following: Topics that were discussed during the meeting of the Bahrain delegation headed by the Minister of Finance and National Economy with officials of the Greek Republic. And follow up on the implementation of Cabinet decisions from January 2021 to January 2022.
AOQ