Any recommendations for tipping in India? (Amounts etc) I was warned against tipping too much by locals who worried it could distort local economies toward tourists and away from local people.
I usually do like something between 30-50 Rs (around 10% of the cost of food). It is not a lot, but I don't think anyone would expect to be tipped more than that..
Sounds like you talked to the locals who might end up being expected to pay tips. The ones who might expect to receive tips would have a different point of view.
of course any individual person will want to be paid as much as possible. There is a reason that people protest when their town becomes a tourist destination, despite the seeming money they bring, though. They get locked out of any dream or purpose other than serving foreigners. No reason to try and build anything that doesn't cater to them, and if your skills aren't useful to them, then you literally just have to leave or become destitute