HRH the Deputy King chairs weekly Cabinet Meeting
The Deputy King, His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, today chaired the weekly Cabinet Meeting at Gudaibiya Palace.
The Cabinet commended His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa’s National Day speech, in commemoration of the establishment of the modern Bahraini State (founded by Ahmed Al Fateh in 1783), the anniversary of the Kingdom becoming a full member of the United Nations, and the anniversary of His Majesty the King’s accession to the throne. In the speech His Majesty thanked all those who passed on messages of congratulations to mark this occasion.
The Cabinet also thanked His Majesty for issuing the Royal Decree to grant “The Prince Salman bin Hamad Medal for Medical Merit” to 15,811 of the Kingdom’s frontline medical professionals and support staff. The medal is awarded in appreciation of frontline staff’s relentless COVID-19 mitigation efforts. The Cabinet reiterated their pivotal role in protecting public health, adding that their efforts are appreciated by all and is a source of pride for the Kingdom.
The Cabinet lauded the speech delivered by His Majesty the King, at the opening session of the 42nd GCC Summit. The speech underscored the importance of the Al Ula Declaration, the purpose of which is to deepen GCC bilateral cooperation and settle unresolved issues. The Cabinet noted the outcomes of the summit which aims to strengthen GCC solidarity and unity to achieve the aspirations of the peoples of the region.
The Cabinet discussed a number of memorandums during the meeting with the following outcomes:
The approval of the following memorandums:
1. A memorandum by the Government Executive Committee on the latest developments in the improvement of the quality of government services provided to citizens and residents. The improvements aim to raise efficiency for beneficiaries and enhance governance. The memorandum covers a total of 1,294 services, which have been documented, and the following was decided:
• Re-engineering a number of government services based on the most frequent complaints on the Tawasul system and unifying the identity of all the forms within the government agencies.
• Developing the e-government portal website to display all the details and terms of condition of government services documented in accordance with the service level agreement, to facilitate the use of the website via smartphones.
2. A memorandum by the Ministerial Committee for Financial and Economic Affairs and Fiscal Balance regarding the 2022-2026 Telecommunications, ICT and Digital Economy Sector Strategy, which is part of the initiatives under the development of the priority sectors within the Kingdom’s Economic Recovery Plan.
The strategy is based on 4 main pillars with 25 strategic projects, with the aim to develop the infrastructure of the telecommunications sector, supporting the digital economy, strengthening e-Governance and developing digital capabilities.
3. A memorandum by the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs, regarding a Draft Law ratifying the loan and guarantee agreements between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, to establish a new control centre. The control centre will monitor electricity and water networks within the Kingdom of Bahrain.
4. A memorandum by the Minister of Interior regarding the digital transformation of some services provided by the Ministry of Interior, including 14 electronic services for the identity card.
5. A memorandum by the Minister of the Interior regarding the restructuring of the Ministry of Interior, with the aim of enhancing its performance and the quality of security services.
6. A memorandum by the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs regarding the government’s response to 3 proposals from the Council of Representatives.
The Cabinet reviewed the following topics:
1. A memorandum regarding the follow-up of the performance of government agencies within 3 systems (Sijilat, Benayat and Tawasul) during the period from 13 September to 13 December 2021. The memorandum includes their role in further enhancing the quality of government services provided to citizens and supports commercial and investment activity in the Kingdom.
