Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora along with Election Commissioners Ashok Lavasa and Sushil Chandra decided to forego 30 per cent of their salary for one year to contribute in the fight against COVID-19.
The decision was taken at a meeting between the officers who have decided to follow the example of the Union Cabinet which will take a salary cut of 30 per cent for a year in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Union Cabinet has recently approved the ordinance amending the salary, allowances and pension of Members of Parliament Act, 1954, to reduce allowances and pension by 30 per cent from April 1 for a year.
The President, Vice President and Governors of State have also voluntarily decided to take a pay cut as a social responsibility.
The money will go to Consolidated Fund of India and will be used in the government’s fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi also suspended the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) for two years in order to manage the financial burden of the pandemic.
Meanwhile, the death toll due to COVID-19 in India rose to 308 and the number of cases surged to 9,152, according to the Union Health Ministry.