The Per-Child Entitlement
Food grain is the foundation of the Mid Day Meal. Under the scheme, a Balvatika or primary child is entitled to 100 grams of food grain per school day, and an upper primary child to 150 grams. In most states, including Odisha, this grain is rice. The entitlement is per child fed, so the total grain a school needs on any day depends on attendance in each class group.
Free Supply Through FCI
The grain is supplied free to schools. The central government lifts it through the Food Corporation of India and bears the full cost, including a large annual subsidy and the cost of transporting grain from FCI depots to the school. Schools draw rice against their enrolment through the district supply chain and should ensure it is of fair average quality.
Calculating Daily Rice
To find the rice needed for a day, multiply the present primary children by 100 grams and the present upper primary children by 150 grams, then add them. For example, 120 present primary children need 12 kilograms and 80 present upper primary children need 12 kilograms, for a daily total of 24 kilograms. The calculator performs this automatically and shows the total rice for the day.
Stock Reconciliation
Because grain is drawn on enrolment but consumed on attendance, schools must reconcile carefully: opening stock plus grain received, minus grain consumed, should equal closing stock. Keeping this reconciliation current avoids the single most common audit objection — a gap between recorded consumption and physical stock. Record every issue from the store and verify the balance at month end.
Fortified Rice
In recent years the rice supplied has increasingly been fortified rice, which blends a small proportion of nutrient-enriched kernels into ordinary rice to address iron, folic acid and vitamin B12 deficiencies. From a calculation point of view this does not change the per-child quantity; it simply improves the nutritional value of the same grain. You can read more in our note on fortified rice in the Mid Day Meal.
Storage and Quality
Grain should be stored in a clean, dry, ventilated space, stacked off the floor and protected from pests and moisture. Damaged or substandard grain must not be served and should be reported. Safe storage protects both the nutrition and the safety of every meal.