MUSCAT: The State Council held its 11th ordinary meeting of the 7th annual sitting under the chairmanship of Shaikh Abdulmalik bin Abdullah al Khalili, Chairman, on Monday.
During the meeting, the State Council has finished discussing the draft Public Debt Law referred to it from the Council of Ministers and the Economic Committee’s opinion about the draft law. It also approved a number of studies prepared by the council’ standing committees.
Addressing the meeting, the chairman of the State Council reviewed the agenda of the meeting which also included discussion on the studies of the two ad hoc committees on the ‘Penal Procedures in Bounced Checks Offenses’ and ‘Traffic Congestion Within Muscat Governorate; Reality and Solutions’, and the Education and Research Committee’s study on the policies and legislation of distance education and ways to develop it.
On discussing the draft Public Debt Law through the Economic Committee’s statement, Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdullah al Harthi, chairman of the committee explained that that the State Council had earlier prepared a study entitled ‘The Framework and Determinants of the Draft Public Debt Law’ which laid out the general framework for the draft law, and the study came up with recommendations that ensure the optimal ceiling for the public debt. He added that the draft Public Debt Law took into account the stability of the national economy. The law is in harmony with the state’s public finances and the requirements of sustainable development and sets clear goals for managing public debt.
The meeting approved the study prepared by the ad hoc committee tasked with looking into the penal procedures in the cases of bounced checks. Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdullah al Harthi, head of the committee explained that the study aimed at simplifying the procedures for cashing of checks and making it more flexible.
The meeting also approved a study conducted by an ad hoc committee on traffic congestion in Muscat Governorate.
Dr Mariam bint Abdullah al Awadiyah, head of the committee said that the study sought to analyze the causes and factors of traffic congestion by analyzing the nature of the problem through discussion with a number of officials and specialists in government and private agencies concerned with the subject matter. Besides, the committee conducted field visits and international visits to learn about the solutions and technologies applied by other countries to reduce traffic congestion.
The State Council also approved the Education and Research Committee’s study on the policies and legislations of distance education and its development. Mohammed bin Hamdan al Toobi, head of the Education and Research Committee, said that the study aimed to identify distance education, its nature, importance, and effects, and to identify the challenges and difficulties facing it from the legislative, organizational, and technical aspects. He added that the study proposed legislation for governing distance education and how to develop by embracing the best practices to ensure its effectiveness and sustainability for the future.
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