Telecom masts to be regulated

Manama : The cabinet meeting chaired by His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa at the Gudaibiya Palace yesterday gave instructions to put tight regulations on telecommunications masts, and to rectify violations as soon as possible, stressing the need to rely on international companies to assess the levels of emissions by these towers, evaluate their health and environmental impact and verify whether they are established in accordance with international standards.

HRH Premier also requested the authorities to continue conducting periodic analysis through specialised inspection teams to ensure that the masts do not violate international standards.

HRH Prime Minister requested the Urban Planning Authority to locate sites for telecommunications towers, and both the Transportation and Telecommunications Minister and the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) to submit a plan on the implementation of his directives.

Criteria for Press awards

HRH Prime Minister has requested the Information Affairs Ministry to develop new criteria for the “Khalifa bin Salman Press Award” to give it a regional dimension. This can be done through re-categorising the participation eligibility criteria so as to cover Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Arab newspapers issued in Arabic and English,” HRH Prime Minister said.

Chairing the regular weekly Cabinet session, the Prime Minister extended thanks to the officials of award-distribution ceremony of the third edition of the “Khalifa bin Salman Press Award”, held under his patronage, congratulating the prestigious award winners. 

Investment regulations

HRH Premier have given directives to verify investment projects’ in villages and residential areas as well as their social impacts on the residents through setting specific regulations regarding the height and sites of the buildings of these projects. The matter has been referred to the Higher Urban Planning Committee to study the regulations.

Tacking development issues, HRH Premier affirmed the importance of field visits by ministers to regions in order to assess the level of services in them, make sure that the performance levels of municipal services are commensurate with the government’s aspiration, and to complete any shortcomings, if there are any. Directives have been given to take the necessary steps regarding the issues raised during the field visit carried out by the Minister of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning to Hidd recently, and to put forward a timetable for the implementation process.

Social allowance doubled

HRH Premier ordered to double the social allowance for 15,500 families who receive social insurance benefits, and the disability allowance benefitting 11,000 people with disabilities marking the holy month of Ramadan.  The kind gesture aims to ease the living burdens for low-income families regarding the requirements of the holy month. Labour and Social Development Minister was requested to take the necessary procedures to implement the Premier’s directives, in accordance with the laws and regulations in force, including the Social Insurance Law. 

Cabinet Decisions 

1. While reviewing the memoranda on its agenda, the cabinet approved the Kingdom’s ratification of the Inclusive Framework on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS), accession to which does not affect Bahraini citizens. The move is in line with Bahrain’s keenness to affirm its full and permanent commitment to the highest degrees of transparency in the field of taxation, as well as to international cooperation in this regard, and desire to ensure that international companies do not evade the payment of their taxes.  The session requested the relevant authorities to put in place the requirements of the Inclusive Framework on BEPS project, and to take the necessary technical and legislative procedures to implement it later this year, based on a recommendation by the Ministerial Committee for Financial Affairs and Expenditure Rationalisation, which was highlighted in a presentation by the Deputy Premier and Committee chairman. 

2. The cabinet approved an agreement with India on the exemption from visa requirements for the holders of diplomatic, private and service passports. It also endorsed two memoranda of understanding with India. The first is on cooperation in education, and the second is on cooperation between Bahrain’s Supreme Council for Environment and Indian Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

3. A cooperation agreement between Bahrain’s National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA), and the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties for cooperation was also approved during the session. Under the agreement, the two parties will cooperate in health professions’ licenses, procedures and examinations.

4. The cabinet discussed adding a new article to the Labour Law for the Private Sector, stipulating the prohibition of discrimination among workers subject to its provisions because of gender, origin, language, religion or creed, as outlined in a memorandum presented by the Labour and Social Development Minister.  The Ministerial Committee for Legal Affairs was requested to study a draft law in this regard. 

5. The session discussed three proposals submitted by the Council of Representatives, and approved the government’s replies to them. These included sports psychology courses for national trainers, training and employment of people with special needs, and private rooms’ fees at King Hamad University Hospital.