Socioeconomic Development Chapter 6 The government will upgrade airport facilities in order to handle increased passenger and aircraft movement and freight volumes. Major investments are expected for implementing phase II of the Passenger Terminal Building, extending the Parallel Taxiway, upgrading the existing runway and constructing a second emergency runway. The government will continue to improve the infrastructure for providing social services in Mauritius. It will build the new Jeetoo Hospital in order to modernise health services and increase capacity. It will also renovate and modernise Flacq Hospital. It will establish a neurospinal block and a new operating theatre at the Victoria Hospital. Infrastructural development in the education sector will aim at completing the construction of new state secondary schools and at renovating existing secondary schools. It also plans a medium-term renovation programme for the primary education sector. Source: MOFEE. July 2009. Public Sector Investment Programme 2009–2013. 865. This huge investment programme is an integral part of an investment plan. It will be reviewed quarterly, keeping in mind, according to the Public Sector Investment Programme, “resource availability, the status of project preparation and implementation capacity”. The MOFEE, together with the ministries and departments or institutions concerned, developed the 2009 to 2013 programme. The way forward 866. iii. Recommendations 867. The APR Panel recommends that the government: • • 302 Finally, Vision 2020, developed about 15 years ago, is outdated for several reasons. At the time of its development, the ICT revolution had not yet happened, the EPZs were expanding rapidly and the prices of food products were stagnant, if not declining. The food crisis was unheard of. The price of energy was low. Global warming was just a theory and not a concern. All the upheavals that occurred since then have had an immense effect on Mauritius and on how it promotes itself in the world. It is necessary to give these issues a new perspective. Finally, a national framework for planning land use and other sectoral strategies is necessary. Develops a strategy and policy for agricultural diversification that prioritises food security in Mauritius. [Government] Includes development actions and budgets in the framework of integrated plans and therefore develops: Chapter 6 o o o Socioeconomic Development A new long-term vision that takes into account the changes and new challenges facing the country. [Government] A national medium-term economic and social development plan, sector strategies and policies. [Government] A national framework for planning land use that integrates the vision of medium- to long-term economic and social development plans, regional development plans and infrastructural plans. [Government] Objective 2: Accelerate socioeconomic development in order to achieve sustainable development and eradicate poverty i. Summary of the CSAR 868. The CSAR gives its analysis and recommendations for this objective in this section. However, it covers some issues, like social security and programmes for integrating vulnerable groups under objective 1. It deals with others, like the welfare state, under objective 3. This summary combines all of these. The welfare state 869. Unlike many African states, which subscribed to structural adjustment policies during the 1980s, Mauritius resisted pressure to reduce social spending. Instead, it adopted social policies based on universal and free access to education, health and the subsidisation of basic food products. The welfare state of Mauritius offers free medical care, free education and noncontributory old age benefits to all citizens, as well as the most targeted forms of social aid in the form of social welfare, moderate rent, subsidised housing and subsidies on products like rice and flour. Contributory and noncontributory social benefits 870. Social benefits and allowances can be classified into contributory and noncon-tributory allowances. The government funds noncontributory benefits fully and pays them to Mauritian citizens in certain circumstances. These contributions comprise: • • Basic pensions paid to elderly and disabled persons, widows and orphans. Benefits like social aid, food aid, unemployment benefits, and allowances to cover funeral expenses for cyclone victims. 303