Delhi and Punjab richest states, Jain wealthiest community: National survey | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

Delhi and Punjab richest states, Jain wealthiest community: National survey

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | By
Jan 13, 2018 11:07 AM IST

People in Delhi and Punjab are the richest, with more than 60% of their households in the top wealth quintile.

Why is Gujarat like Christians and Delhi like Jains?

The full report of NFHS-4 has prepared a wealth index. It has been used to classify all households into wealth quintiles.(Illustration: Jayanto)
The full report of NFHS-4 has prepared a wealth index. It has been used to classify all households into wealth quintiles.(Illustration: Jayanto)

The analogy has nothing to do with religious beliefs of these two states. However, the comparison holds if one were to compare wealth levels of the population in these two states with that of the two religious groups, on the basis of data from fourth round of the National Family and Health Survey (NFHS-4). The survey was conducted among more than 6 lakh households in 2015-16.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

Its large sample size and the fact that it was carried out just a couple of years ago, makes it an extremely useful source of information in analysing India’s socio-economic landscape. The full report of NFHS-4, which has been released recently, has prepared a wealth index. The index has been prepared on the basis of scores on ownership of consumer goods such as television and bicycles, and household characteristics such as availability of clean drinking water.

This information has been used to classify all households into wealth quintiles. Those in the lowest quintile would the poorest 20%, while those in the top would be the richest 20% of the lot.

The report then uses these quintile scores to classify population for states, religious and caste groups and rural-urban areas into each quintile.

The report shows that poverty is predominantly a rural phenomenon in India. 29% of rural India belongs to the bottom quintile, while the figure is just 3.3% for urban India. This means that 29% of the rural population has wealth levels equivalent to bottom 20% of the country’s population.

The results for states and religious/caste groups are even more revealing. Among major states, people in Delhi and Punjab are the richest with more than 60% of their households in the top wealth quintile. Bihar is the poorest with more than half of the households in the bottom wealth quintile.

Jains are the richest religious community, with more than 70% of their population in the top quintile. There isn’t much difference between Hindus and Muslims and they are very close to the national distribution of wealth. Upper castes have almost double the share of households in the top quintile compared to any other caste group. Scheduled Tribes are the worst-off section in terms of wealth.

High levels of income and wealth inequality are a matter of great concern in India. NFHS-4 statistics on disparity in wealth-holdings across various categories tell us that there cannot be a one size fits all policy if the government is serious about addressing this problem.

Unveiling 'Elections 2024: The Big Picture', a fresh segment in HT's talk show 'The Interview with Kumkum Chadha', where leaders across the political spectrum discuss the upcoming general elections. Watch now!

Get Current Updates on India News, PM Narendra Modi in Kerala LIVE , Electoral Bonds Data Live , Lok Sabha Election 2024 Date along with Latest News and Top Headlines from India and around the world.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    author-default-90x90

    Roshan Kishore is the Data and Political Economy Editor at Hindustan Times. His weekly column for HT Premium Terms of Trade appears every Friday.

SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Friday, March 15, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On