What the Cooking Cost Is
The cooking cost, also called the material cost, is the rupee amount the scheme provides per child per day to buy everything in the meal except rice. It pays for pulses, vegetables, cooking oil and fat, salt and condiments, and the fuel used to cook. Rice itself is supplied separately and free of charge.
The Latest Central Rates
The central government revises this amount periodically to keep pace with prices. With effect from 1 May 2025, the central cooking cost was raised to ₹6.78 per child per day for Balvatika and primary classes and ₹10.17 for upper primary classes, an increase of about 9.5 percent over the previous rates that had applied from December 2024.
What the Money Buys
The scheme also indicates the quantity of key ingredients behind these rates. A primary child's meal is built around roughly 20 grams of pulses, 50 grams of vegetables and 5 grams of oil, while an upper primary child's meal uses about 30 grams of pulses, 75 grams of vegetables and 7.5 grams of oil, with spices, salt and fuel as required. These quantities are designed to meet the calorie and protein norms.
Odisha's Top-Up
States may, and many do, spend more than the central minimum. Odisha adds a state contribution on top of the central rate so that the effective amount available per child is higher — in the region of ₹11.15 for primary and ₹14.74 for upper primary. This is why a calculation done for an Odisha school uses these higher per-child totals rather than the bare central figures.
Centre-State Sharing
For ordinary states the central minimum cooking cost is shared with the state, commonly in a 60:40 ratio, while special-category states have a more favourable split. Any amount a state adds above the minimum is borne entirely by that state. When all components including free food grain are added, the total per-meal cost works out to roughly ₹12 for primary and ₹17–18 for upper primary at the national level.
Why the Rate Matters for Calculation
Because the cooking cost is fixed per child, the day's total simply scales with the number of children present. Applying the correct rate for the date — and the correct state top-up — is what keeps a school's reported figures in line with the official norm. The calculator applies the right rate automatically for the date you select.