Yearbook 2011
Mauritius. In July, six new ministers in the new government who took office in 2010 resigned, among them the finance minister, as well as Deputy Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth. The ministers resigned in protest against the fact that Health Minister Maya Hanoomanjee had been forced to resign because of corruption allegations that colleagues believed were baseless. The accusations, which initially came from the political opposition in December 2010, claimed that the Ministry of Health had bought a private health clinic at an unnecessarily high price and without having followed the procurement rules. The clinic would be used to build a hospital for elderly care. According to Countryaah official site, the opposition identified both the Minister of Health and the Minister of Finance as guilty. The clinic was sold by the Minister of Finance’s brother-in-law. Maya Hanoomanjee was arrested and detained, but then released on bail. Visit ABBREVIATIONFINDER for the acronym of MUS that stands for the country of Mauritius.
The government is a tripartite coalition and all ministers who resigned belong to the Militant Socialist Movement (MSM). However, Jugnauth assured that the party was still part of the government. In August, Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam appointed a replacement for the resigned ministers and formed a new government.
Population
The population, according to official estimates, in 1998 was 1,141,000 residents; the average annual demographic increase rate, thanks also to the demographic containment policies adopted by the latest governments, stood at 12% in the period 1990-97. The distribution of the population, whose average density is among the highest in the world (558 residents / km²), is rather irregular: in addition to the capital, Port Louis, home to the major industries and main port of the country, the population is concentrated. mainly in the cities of the inner plateau (Beau Bassin-Rose Hill, Curepipe, Vacoas-Phoenix and Quatre Bornes).
Economic conditions
The policy of economic diversification (until the 1970s based exclusively on the production and export of sugar cane), undertaken by the government in the 1980s with the support of the International Monetary Fund, triggered a decisive process of economic development; According to estimates by the World Bank, in the decade 1985-95, GDP grew, on average, by 6.2% per year. In the early 1990s, however, there was a significant increase in inflation and unemployment, accompanied by phenomena of environmental degradation due to the rapid spread of industries. In 1993 the government implemented a three-year development plan, with the aim of further diversifying and liberalizing the
Agriculture contributes 9.1% to the composition of the GDP and employs 13.0% of the workforce; Sugar cane, tea, tobacco, coconut palm and vanilla are the main crops for export, plus potatoes, maize, rice and cassava for domestic consumption. Poultry farming is of considerable importance. Industry (31.5% of GDP and 38.0% of employees) is mainly active in the clothing, footwear, food (sugar, molasses, rum, beer), precision mechanics (watches) and electronics. A substantial portion of the industrial manufactured goods for export is produced in the free zones (Export Processing Zones), where companies, many of which with foreign capital, benefit from tax and customs concessions. However, many industries are decentralizing production in Madagascar, where labor costs are lower. As regards the production of energy, mainly of hydroelectric and thermal derivation, in 1992 a plan was launched which envisages obtaining at least 15% of the energy necessary for the country from bagasse (residue from the processing of sugar cane). The service sector (59.4% of GDP and 49.0% of the workforce) is mainly based on tourism, which has been steadily increasing since the mid-1980s. Mauritius is also an offshore financial center: since 1986 controls on foreign capital have been removed and in 1989 the Stock Exchange was opened. Since 1995 Mauritius is a member of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).