KATHMANDU: The US Embassy in Kathmandu has said the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) received official correspondence from the Government of Nepal’s Ministry of Finance containing a set of clarifying questions regarding the infrastructure grant, which was signed in 2017.
“MCC is eager to answer these questions, and is working diligently to provide answers in a timely manner,” the Embassy has said.
The Ministry of Finance had on Friday sent a letter to the MCC headquarters in Washington, DC, seeking clarification through the US Embassy in Kathmandu.
The Ministry has sought clarification on some points such as the “above Nepal’s Constitution”, among others.
“This is a positive step forward in the ratification process, and shows MCC’s consistent willingness to have an open and transparent dialog with the Nepali people,” the Embassy said.
The MCC is a program under which Nepal would receive $500 million in grants from the US Government signed when Sher Bahadur Deuba was the Prime Minister in 2017.
However, the parliament of Nepal has to ratify the agreement, a precondition to implementing the project in areas of electricity transmission and transport sector.
It should be noted that MCC Vice President Fatema Z Sumar is arriving in Nepal on Thursday.
Political parties and people in the country are widely divided over MCC’s endorsement with a section of the people saying that MCC is a part of the US’ Indo-Pacific Strategy (IPS).
Comment