MCC Vice President Sumar visiting Nepal next week

KATHMANDU : The MCC Vice President Fatema Sumar is visiting Nepal next week. She will be accompanied by the MCC Deputy Vice President Jonathan Brooks.

The US Embassy officials in Kathmandu confirmed the visit. The officials said the visit of the two senior officials of the MCC is a part of recurring discussions with the Nepal government.

During her stay, Vice President Sumar is expected to emphasize the importance of ratifying the agreement should Nepal want to continue with the grant. Vice President Sumar also hopes to express concern over the increase in disinformation about the $500 million infrastructure-development program, according to the embassy officials.

Nepal government asked to be considered for the multimillion-dollar grant and was subsequently selected in 2014 based on its commitment to democracy, good government, and transparency. The government negotiated and signed the agreement with MCC in 2017 to bring sustainable energy and improved road maintenance to the people of Nepal.

However, the MCC agreement has not been endorsed by the parliament as political parties appear sharply divided over its implementation. A section of lawmakers, mainly belonging to the CPN-UML and the CPN (Maoist Center) have argued that the agreement needs to be amended first to bring the MCC projects into the implementation.