New Delhi: With international travel restrictions in place due to COVID-19, Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora, has been stranded in the United States.
Arora, who had gone to the US on a private trip and was supposed to be back in the first week of April, is now stuck there due to travel curbs.
However, Arora keeps in touch through video conferencing for important decisions of the Election Commission, sources said.
Meanwhile, Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora and fellow commissioners Ashok Lavasa and Sushil Chandra have decided to take a voluntary 30 per cent cut in their basic salaries for one year to fund fight against COVID-19.
The three commissioners, including the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), are entitled to a salary which is "equal to the salary of a judge of the Supreme Court", according to the provisions of a law governing their conditions of service.
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Supreme Court judges draw a monthly salary of Rs 2.50 lakh, besides other entitlements.
"The commission has decided to contribute in the form of voluntary reduction of 30 per cent in the basic salary paid by the Election Commission to the Chief Election Commissioner and the Election Commissioners for a period of one year commencing April 1," the poll panel said in a statement.
(With inputs from PTI)
