Indian Journal of Economics and Development

Farm policies adopted by the Government of India since the 1970s increased inequalities in different regions of India. Inequalities, like in agricultural asset ownership, have increased not only among the states but also among various land size groups. The present study examines the inequality in asset ownership prevailing among various categories of households in different regions of rural Punjab, using a sample of 591 households from the 23 villages belonging to the three regions, namely Majha, Doaba, and Malwa of the Punjab state. The study concluded that the per-household average value of durable assets was highest in Malwa, followed by Doaba and Majha. Out of all the household durable assets, a residential building was the most valuable asset. The average value of this asset was the highest in the Malwa and the lowest in the Doaba. The second important asset for the sampled household was an ornament. The sampled household in Malwa recorded the highest average value of this asset, followed by Majha and Doaba. The average value of jeep/car appeared at third place in all the three regions. The average value of this asset was highest in the Majha and lowest in Doaba. The per-household average value of farm assets was 88060 for an average household of Majha. The corresponding figures for the Malwa and Doaba are 77033 and 38235 respectively. The average value of farm assets was directly related to the farm size in all three regions. The items such as tractor, trolley, farm-buildings and electric tube well accounted for a larger share among the farm assets in all the regions. The per-household average value of livestock assets was highest for the Majha, followed by the Malwa and Doaba. Amongst the different constituents of livestock assets, the value of buffaloes has contributed a major proportion in all the regions.