151. (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) The objectives of MSIEE are to formulate policies and strategies to combat poverty and social exclusion; to drive and coordinate initiatives for the social integration and sustainable development of vulnerable families; encourage and assist vulnerable families to undertake income earning activities to become economically independent; widen the circle of opportunities for the empowerment of the vulnerable families; eradicate absolute poverty and improve the living conditions of the poor; and lay the foundation for sustainable human development and improve the life chances of children of poor families by providing a package of support programmes and opportunities for learning and development from a very early stage. SOCIAL REGISTER OF MAURITIUS 152. The Social Register of Mauritius (SRM) has been developed since June 2015 and constitutes a national database of vulnerable households in Mauritius. The Ministry of Social Security, National Solidarity and Environment and Sustainable Development is the legal custodian of the SRM database and is responsible as from 15 November 2018 for the registration of potential households. 153. Intensive sensitisation campaigns have been carried out with the help of the Citizen Advice Bureau (CAB) of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) to reach and register those who may fall in the category of poor to apply for the assistance on the Social Register of Mauritius. The Proxy Means Test (PMT) is then carried out to determine the eligibility of the households to the various schemes. 154. Among the main MP proposals which are being implemented are the Social Contract and the Conditional Cash Transfers (CCTs) that are offered to families who are eligible under the SRM upon signing the social contract. The social contract essentially defines the responsibilities and undertakings between MSIEE/NEF and the beneficiaries. Its ultimate goal is to promote economic empowerment through employability, training and entrepreneurship of people living in absolute poverty. By signing the social contract, beneficiaries agree to comply with the conditions of the MP and are provided with regular visits by Case Management Officers of NEF to monitor their progress and offer them appropriate counselling and guidance. The purpose of putting in place CCTs is fundamentally to assist the poor people to empower themselves since empowerment is an essential concept of human rights. Currently, there are around 8,190 SRM eligible households in Mauritius and 2,087 in Rodrigues in the SRM. 155. The conditions stipulated in the social contract in respect of the cash transfers pertain to education, training and employment, health, family welfare and development. The social contract 45