Cuban Council of Ministers approves legal regulations to be submitted to Parliament

HAVANA, Cuba, Oct 2 (ACN) As part of the legislative schedule being developed in Cuba, the Council of Ministers approved three draft bills to be presented at the next regular session of the National Assembly of People's Power in December.

As reported by the Presidency on its website, the highest body of Government approved the draft Public Health Law, as well as the Policy for the approval of the Special Social Security Regime for the Agricultural and Forestry Sector and the draft Decree Law; and the draft Decree Law on the System of Protected Areas, the latter two to be approved also by the Council of State.

At the meeting, headed by Miguel Diaz-Canel, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and President of the Republic, it was reported that the first proposal ratifies Public Health as a right of the people, and it develops constitutional rights and guarantees and duties of the people.

This was explained by Tania Margarita Hernandez, first deputy minister of Public Health, and added that it updates the obligations of the State and the Government to guarantee accessible, free and quality services; establishes functions and obligations at the local level; deepens the concept of "One Health", which was not in the previous Law, and allows the integration of multidisciplines.

Regarding the Policy for the approval of the Special Social Security Regime for the Agricultural and Forestry Sector, the first deputy minister of labor and social security, Yaniris Hernandez Vento, explained that it broadens and unifies the coverage of the risks to be protected, as well as provides for a differentiated treatment for the accreditation of the time of services of agricultural workers directly linked to production.

Currently, she said, there are three special Social Security regimes in force for economic actors in the agricultural and forestry sector, which generates inequalities in aspects such as the mode of financing, the scope of protection, the rights granted and the coverage of risks.

This proposal, she stated, unifies and adapts these current regulations.

For his part, Ydael Perez Brito, minister of agriculture, commented that the proposals that have been made were agreed with the producers, and he valued that the document is more inclusive and beneficial for all.
The draft Decree Law of the Protected Areas System has among its novelties that for the first time it establishes that the declared protected areas are part of the Natural Heritage of the Nation, while recognizing other conservation measures for areas not declared as protected, such as biological corridors and the Turquino Plan.

In this regard, Manuel Marrero, Prime Minister, highlighted the role of the administrator of protected areas, a new role that favors attention to these places.

The Council of Ministers also approved other documents related to the social and economic development of the nation, such as a proposal for actions to mitigate the current problems of rural Cuba, and the report on compliance with the Housing Policy.

The actions approved are aimed at creating a more favorable environment for the permanence of its inhabitants in rural areas; increasing endogenous food production for local self-sufficiency, as well as increasing income and improving people's living conditions.

Among other tasks to be carried out by the different agencies of the Central State Administration, it is foreseen to guarantee sectorial investments to be executed in rural areas, with adequate exploitation; to facilitate the acquisition of housing, construction materials, equipment and other incentives for professionals who live and work in rural areas.

As part of the presentation of the report on compliance with the Housing Policy, detailed and critical information was presented regarding the delays in the implementation of this Program.

The current housing deficit is more than 800,000 dwellings, the most complex situation being in Havana, Holguin, Santiago de Cuba and Camagüey.

In general, the Housing Policy in the period is evaluated in setback because, despite the fulfillment in 2019 and 2020, in the following two years the same results were not achieved and currently the current year's plan is at risk of being achieved.

In this regard, the members of the Council of Ministers approved, among other measures, the redesign in each territory of the strategy of local production of materials, with an increase in local raw materials to ensure autonomy in the production of materials and response to the needs of the Program.