In the
British Raj
The British Raj (; from Hindi language, Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent;
*
* it is also called Crown rule in India,
*
*
*
*
or Direct rule in India,
* Q ...
, Batta or Bhatta or Bat-ta was a a) financial/banking and b) a military term, meaning a) an
agio
''Agio'' ( Italian ''aggio'') is a term used in commerce for exchange rate, discount or premium.
Exchange rate
The variations from fixed par values or rates of exchange in the currencies of different countries. For example, in most countries ...
or
disagio, b) a special allowance made to officers, soldiers, or other public servants in the field, c) any additional or extra charge elsewhere.
The term is probably derived from
Kannada
Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...
''bhatta'' (rice in the husk).
Batta was originally introduced as a payment to military officers of the
East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Sout ...
, in addition to their ordinary salary, to provide them with money for field-equipment and other expenses when on the march. By November 1842, a distinction was made according to which part of the country they were based. A lieutenant-colonel in barracks in southern India, for instance would receive half batta, 304 rupees (£30) a month. All cavalry and infantry officers stationed in northern India received full batta.
Discontent over changes to the allowance was the cause of the
Monghyr Mutiny.
In Hindi, the term ''bhatta'' (
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of North India, northern, Central India, centr ...
भत्ता) is now used to refer to
allowance made to military personnel or other public servants.
In Pakistan the term ''bhatta'' (
بھتہ ) is now used specially in
Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former ...
by
MQM to take
extortion
Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence; the bulk of this article deals with such cases. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, ...
money from common persons.
References
{{reflist
British East India Company
Indian words and phrases