MCC dismissal would harm country’s image abroad
Kathmandu, June 9
Kathmandu, June 9: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Ishwar Pokhrel said Tuesday that the information regarding establishment of airbase office of the Nepali Army in Nijgadh of Bara district was baseless.
"Army is not
establishing an airbase office in Nijgadh of Bara, which is completely baseless
and doesn't have any truth in it, and I hereby urge all respected lawmakers not
to raise such baseless issues in this august parliament henceforth," DPM
Pokhrel said while responding to the queries raised by lawmakers about the
budget allocation to the Ministry of Defense.
He said the NA had
currently been establishing its airbase office only in Surkhet covering western
Nepal including Sudupaschim and Karnali States for conducting rescue and relief
operation during any kind of natural disaster.
For the new fiscal
year, the government has allocated Rs 400 million for completing Surkhet-based
airbase infrastructure by the end of the fiscal.
DPM Pokhrel clarified
that Nepali Army was not a profit making institution and was not doing so.
"It is, however,
true that the NA has been doing some business-motivated activities from their
own fund deposited in the Nepali Army Welfare Fund established since 1975 AD,
and under the Regulation-2008 of the Fund, which allowed them to do so just for
the welfare of their serving and retired staff members and their dependent
family members," DPM Pokharel said.
In another question of
the lawmakers, DPM Pokhrel said the NA was closely but indirectly inspecting
and keeping records of Nepal's territory in the south and north by establishing
coordination with the semi-military force i.e. the Armed Police Force (APF).
As per international
principles and practices of the world, the NA cannot be deployed directly in
the border, he said.
Likewise, Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar
Gyawal said India had undermined the
sovereignty of Nepal by snubbing requests to sit for dialogue through but
publishing a map claiming Nepali territory and constructing a road through our
land unilaterally.
He said India took the benefit of time constraints
and encroached the Nepali land.
"Nepal had been trying for the mapping of the
land east of Kali River since 1981 but we are not allowed to go up from Kuti.
India had consented to foreign secretary level meeting for multiple times but
evaded such discussions," he said.
Stating that it was astonishing that India was never
ready to sit for dialogue despite Nepal's multiple calls, FM Gyawali maintained
that Nepal had published the map including Kalapani, Limpiyadhura and Lipulek
as a symbolic step.
"We are continuously urging and following up
with India for the talk on the border issues as there is no alternative to it.
Nepal has claimed the land which was set as per the Sugauli Treaty, 1816,"
he said. "Nepal has not aspired for additional land, therefore if India
accepts the earlier documents, the dispute will be resolved," he added.
He also expressed his surprise that India was
sitting in dialogue with China on border issues in Laddakh but it has long
ignored Nepal. Nepali Congress Lawmaker Narayan Khadka had asked the Minister
if the government was working on alternatives considering the double standards
of the southern neighbour.
Following Nepal's multiple diplomatic notes,
protesting its encroachment and unilateral development work in Nepal's
territory, India had said that it would sit in dialogue with Nepal when the
coronavirus pandemic is over.
Minister Gyawali criticised the lawmakers' words
terming the map-publication as a 'drama' 'map-weapon'. NC lawmaker Pradeep Giri
had said the act was a 'map-weapon'.
He also updated the House that Nepal was moving
ahead confidently to getting its land back, and border outposts were being
built, and hoped that the Eminent Persons Group's report would be accepted by
India.
Minister for Finance Dr Yuba Raj Khatiwada said that
Nepal should not turn its face away from the Millennium Challenge Corporation
(MCC) agreement.
The US$ 500 million grant for the construction of
high-powered cross-border transmission line and upgrading of strategic road is
in controversy following its implementation announcement last year.
Finance Minister Dr Khatiwada warned that cancelling
the agreement right before its implementation would have a severe repercussion
on Nepal-USA ties and international cooperation that Nepal had been enjoying.
He urged the parliament to hold a discussion on the
topic at the earliest.
The Millennium Challenge Account Nepal – as the
project is named – should start its work next month as per the earlier
agreement. There is a provision that the agreement should be ratified by the
parliament, however.
"This agreement is being discussed in the
parliament. Let's discuss it here. It is a cooperation agreement, however we
can discuss whether it's under the security umbrella of any country," he
said. "The agreement was signed by the Ministry of Finance. It does not
matter who was the minister while signing the contract. The Prime Minister has
said that it was a matter of continuity of the government."
He said that the amendments can also be made in the
sub-agreements.
A committee led by Senior Leader of NCP and Former
Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal had recommended that the agreement should not
be ratified without amendment. If the agreement is not endorsed by the House,
it will be terminated since just a month and a half remains for the
commencement of the project.
Dr Khatiwada informed the House that the government
would publish the detail of the expenditure made in the fight against COVID-19
pandemic.
"The government will publish every detail of
the expenditure. The government is transparent and accountable," he
said.
Lawmakers had demanded the details about the Rs 10
billion expenditure in the prevention and treatment of coronavirus. NC lawmaker
Gagan Thapa said that it was illogical that Rs 10 billion was spent while only
5 PCR machines and 25,000 RDT kits were procured.
Minister for Home
Affairs Ram Bahadur Thapa Badal said the government was giving high priority to
border protection and security, and was planning to set up 500 border outposts
in the coming fiscal year in phase-wise manner. In the first phase, 221 BoPs
will be set up and 129 BoPs have already been established including the recent
BoPs established in Chhangru of Darchula and Hilsa of Humla district. Minister
Thapa said that the government established 1,213 BoPs in different parts of the
country to tackle the risk of COVID-19 pandemic and control human mobility from
India.
The Ministry has got a
budget of Rs 138.62 billion for the
new fiscal year.
Likewise, Minister for
Energy Water Resources and Irrigation Barsaman Pun said that the government was
planning for energy trading through ‘energy exchange programmes’ from coming
fiscal year.
“Instead of wasting our
hydropower, the government will sell it to neighbouring countries, possibly
India and Bangladesh,” he said.
Responding to the queries
of lawmakers, Minister Pun said that ensuring markets to the wasted energy was
the most challenging job to the government now.
The ministry has been allocated
Rs 99.29 billion from which Rs 72.6 billion is for energy sector development
and Rs 26.69 billion for water resources and irrigation.
The minister also said
that 50 charging stations would be constructed in the coming year. He said
irrigation sector would be prioritised for job creation in the country.
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