New Delhi, Jan. 15 -- A job advertisement offering an annual salary of Rs.25 lakh for a software developer with just one year of experience has gone viral on social media, triggering a debate around pay structures in India's technology sector.

The listing, for a Software Development Engineer (SDE 1) role based in Bengaluru, mentions a base salary of Rs.25 lakh per year. It also includes employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) worth Rs.20 lakh, vested over four years. In addition, the role offers a 10% performance bonus and relocation and signing bonuses amounting to Rs.5 lakh, taking the total first-year compensation to around Rs.35 lakh.

The post drew further attention due to the benefits on offer. These include reimbursements for gym, ...