217
This discussion leads us to a quantitative and monetary
consideration of the normal budget of an average family
of this group, which is composed of 1.67 men, 1.54
women and 2.48 children. For facilitating our calculations,
we shall first consider the budget of a normal family of
five persons consisting of one adult male, two adult fe-
males and two children.^1
From minute observation and frequent consultation with
them, we think that the average daily requirements of such
a normal family may be safely taken at 5 seers of paddy,
3^ seers of Nagli and about i^- seers of wal or any other
pulse sometimes replaced by vegetables or sour milk.*
Assuming the quantities mentioned above as the daily
requirements and taking into consideration the remarks
about the diet of this group made above, we have con-
structed the following table which gives an idea of the
annual quantity and cost of the ration of a normal family of
five.

Material | | Value per ropeei

per axm«m |
1. | Paddy | 1800 Ibs, | 90
2. | Nagli (or Kodra) | 1200   „ | 60
8. | Pulses (wal or any other) | 360   „ | 18
4. | Salt | | H
5. | Chillies             •, | |
6. | Sesamum oil      I | | 7i
7. | Miscellaneous   J | |
| | Total | 180
Assuming that a woman requires four-fifths and a child
two-thirds of the food a man does, the necessary ex-
penditure for food will be Rs. 45-12-0 per man, Rs. 36-10
per woman and Rs. 30-8-0 per child, per annum. It is
evident that the price of the food-grains dominates the
total cost of food in the case of this class as was found to
1 In   considering  the  question   of  food  and  clothing  requirements,   we
have regarded all persons under 15 as children.
9 How unsubstantial this diet is will be evident from Appendix IX.