The second meeting of the House of Representatives approved the US aid project Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) agreement, announcing that it would not join any military alliance.
Meeting of the House of Representatives held on Sunday, Finance Minister Janardan Sharma had proposed a 12-point explanatory declaration containing the questions raised about the MCC agreement.
The explanatory declaration proposal has been approved by the Parliament along with the MCC.
Similarly, the next meeting of the House of Representatives has been adjourned till 1 PM on Wednesday.
Speaker Agni Prasad Sapkota approved the MCC agreement and adjourned the sitting till Wednesday.
In accordance with the provisions of Article 4 of the Treaty Act, 2047 BS, the Government of Nepal, the Council of Ministers had decided to approve the Ministry of Finance to submit to the Federal Parliament for approval the grant assistance agreement between the Government of Nepal and the US aid agency MCC.
Accordingly, the then Finance Minister Dr. Yubaraj Khatiwada had submitted a proposal to the Parliament to get the agreement approved by the simple majority of the House of Representatives as per Article 279 of the Constitution of Nepal.
As per the agreement reached between the Government of Nepal and MCC on September 14, 2017 AD, the project to be implemented with this assistance should be completed within five years from the date of implementation of this agreement.
The agreement was taken to the parliament as the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs gave its opinion to be approved by the simple majority of the House of Representatives.
The present government had tabled a proposal in this regard in the parliament on February 20 this year.
The implementation of the MCC agreement is expected to be a cornerstone for the development of Nepal’s energy and transport sectors.
The MCC is concerned with providing 500 million in grant assistance to the Government of Nepal for the construction of 400 kV transmission lines and maintenance of roads in different parts of the country.
