Kathmandu:
A delegation representing US foreign help agency Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) arrived in Nepal on Thursday and met primary opposition leader KP Sharma Oli to seek his party’s assistance for the endorsement of the MCC agreement, which is below consideration in the House of Representatives.
The 4-day pay a visit to of the group has come as Nepal’s political parties continue to be divided more than the programme worth $500 million.
Under the MCC programme, the US government will provide the grant help which will be primarily utilised on strengthening Nepal’s transmission line that would facilitate the export of hydro-electrical energy to India in the close to future and also strengthen the country’s road networks.
Nepal and the United States signed the MCC agreement in 2017. The MCC, nevertheless, has develop into a hotly-debated political situation in this nation, with some parties objecting to it on grounds that the US programme is element of the Indo-Pacific Strategy, and its parliamentary ratification would be against Nepal’s national interest.
In its response, the Washington-based agency made it clear that the MCC Pact did not fall below the US Government’s Indo-Pacific Strategy.
MCC Vice President Fatima Z umar and deputy Vice President Jonathan Brooks met CPN-UML chairman Oli in Kathmandu, a party official stated.
During the meeting, Sumar underscored the require to expedite the implementation of the MCC deal as per an agreement inked among Nepal and the US government.
During her pay a visit to, Ms Sumar is scheduled to get in touch with on Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and hold discussions with leading leaders of important political parties, like Finance Minister Janardan Sharma and other senior officials of Nepal.
Prior to the pay a visit to, the MCC had furnished a written response to the government of Nepal clarifying some controversial provisions of the MCC Compact. The 13-web page written response was furnished by Sumar to Finance Minister Sharma.
The Ministry of Finance had sent an 11-point letter to the MCC last week looking for clarification on the controversial matters.
In its response, the MCC has clarified that its primary objective was to eradicate poverty by fostering financial development.
“The grant is being provided to Nepal solely to complete construction projects of transmission lines and roadways that are considered important for economic growth,” study the letter.
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