"In Bengaluru, water costs ₹800." Finfluencer challenges the ₹10 trillion hype

Last year, a 6,000-liter water tanker in Bengaluru cost ₹500. It is almost ₹800 now. Akshat Shrivastava, the creator of Wisdom Hatch and a well-known influencer, believes that this 60% increase in just a year explains why the average Indian feels impoverished despite news reports about GDP growth and higher earnings.

He comments, “You feel impoverished because the price of necessities has skyrocketed.” Children’s schooling costs are increasing by 15–20%, medical inflation is at 14%, and cellphone expenses alone may increase by another 20% this year. Furthermore, he asserts that the root cause is structural rather than merely economic. “Corruption is the main cause.”

Shrivastava wonders why those who pay high taxes are nevertheless compelled to purchase necessities like water. He points out that “you should not even be paying for a water tanker to begin with.” “When people are paying high taxes, water seems like a basic right.”

Education is no exception. “You should expect free (or subsidized) high-quality education for your children if you have been paying direct taxes for years. However, all of this money is used for political corruption,” he continues. Any amount can be used, such as the prediction that our economy will grow to $10 trillion or more. The fact is that it makes no difference. Access to essential services at a reasonable cost is what counts.

His case is only strengthened by the evidence. In 2025, salary increases in India are anticipated to average 9.2 to 9.5%, while inflation is predicted to be approximately 3.6%. That translates to a moderate real salary gain of 4% on paper. However, growing healthcare, housing, education, and utility expenses are surpassing wage gains for the middle class.

Top performers are only earning a 1–3 percentage point increase, while the majority of employees are receiving raises that are roughly in line with inflation, according to industry analysts. As a result, basic expenses are taking up a greater percentage of household income and discretionary spending is declining.

Shrivastava comes to the conclusion that “your salary will continue to grow slower than the growth rate of necessary services.” “And people get poorer because of this.”