KATHMANDU: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has asked Speaker Agni Prasad Sapkota to put the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Compact as an agenda of the meeting of the House of Representatives (HoR).

The Secretariat of the Prime Minister informed Khabarhub that Prime Minister expressed concerns and urged the Speaker to keep it as a business of the Parliament meeting.

“The Prime Minister expressed concerns about the MCC,” said the PM’s secretariat, adding, “PM inquired about the status of the MCC.”

“The ruling NCP has formed a panel to study of the MCC and has already submitted a report of it. The Speaker is in a’ wait and see’ mode,” said PM’s secretariat.

Prime Minister is not happy with the panel formed by the party’s Central Committee.

Earlier, in a meeting participated by nine Communist parties, Prime Minister Oli had said that it was not relevant to form a panel two and a half years after the agreement on MCC was reached.

PM Oli, during his address to the Parliament, had asserted that the MCC will be endorsed by the parliament.

Apprising the Parliament of his two years’ achievements, PM had said,” The constitution project of inter-country transmission line from Lapsiphedi-Ratmate-Damauli-Hetauda-Palpa-Butwal-Gorakhpur and sub-stations under the MCC compact will prove a cornerstone for utilizing the electricity of Nepal.

The MCC compact worth US $500 million has attained the status of national pride project.

It is expected that, once the project is implemented, it will bring changes in the sector of economy, trade and energy of the country within five years.

PM Oli is not happy with the dispute taking place in the political spectrum.

Sources said PM Oli is in a mood to pass the MCC by forging consensus within the party and if this does not happen he will move ahead by implementing the government’s decision.

Four among the six criteria required for the implementation of the MCC have already been fulfilled.

The government has expressed commitment to implement the MCC compact project from June 30, 2020.

US Congress has endorsed the MCC and those MCC receiving countries should implement it by endorsing through their respective parliament, according to the provision.

Communist countries including Vietnam have received the MCC grant as per this provision.

Under this project, 100 KM road up-gradation and 400 KVPS electricity transmission line will be installed for which America will provide US $ 500 million and Nepal will spend the US $130 million.

Prime Minister wants to implement it at the earliest after endorsing it through the parliament.

Even though it was tabled at the parliament secretariat on July 15, 2019, it has not yet been included as the agenda of the meeting.

Opposition party head Sher Bahadur Deuba is of the view that the MCC should be implemented as soon as possible.

Foreign Affairs Advisor to the Prime Minister Rajan Bhattarai said PM has been urging Speaker Agni Sapkota to play a constructive role to endorse the MCC.

Time has elapsed for amending MCC Compact: US Ambassador Berry

US Ambassador to Nepal Randy Berry has reiterated that no parts of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) be now amended.

In an interview with BBC Nepali Service, Ambassador Berry said that Nepal and the USA were involved in dialogues for five years to take the Compact to a conclusion.

“Discussions were held on the contents of the agreement for five years from 2012 to 2017. They concluded in 2017 following the signing of the Compact between Nepal and the US governments,” Ambassador Berry said.

“We had accepted all the conditions at that point. Time has already elapsed for discussions as the Compact has inched closer to the implementation phase,” he added.

Saying that MCC can be a big contributor to Nepal’s development, Ambassador Berry clarified that there are no hidden agendas in MCC.

He further asserted that the MCC agreement signed by Nepal and Indo-Pacific Strategy (IPS) are different.

“MCC and IPS are totally different,” Ambassador Berry maintained.

He clarified that Nepal-US diplomatic relation will not be affected even if the Compact is not implemented.

“The two countries have been engaged in a strong partnership for more than 70 years,” he said, “Our relation will not be impacted by an issue.”

America will provide Nepal US $500 million under the MCC grant compact for the infrastructure development of electricity and roads.

The MCC Compact which requires to be spent in five years must be endorsed by the federal Parliament.