Abstract: Present study was conducted to characterize ten rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivars viz. IET-23466, Dhan-201, IET-23448, MAS-946, IET-23445, IET-23463, IET- 23455, PR-123, PR-115 and IET-23449 based on biochemical (starch, amylose, amylopectin, total sugars, reducing sugars, total protein and amino acids) and proximate composition (moisture, crude protein, crude fiber, ash and fat) before and after germination with an aim to identify cultivars containing higher health promoting components after germination. Findings of our study demonstrated that germination significantly influenced the biochemical and proximate components in all the cultivars. Cultivars IET-23463, IET-23466, PR-123 performed better as revealed by higher content of crude protein, ash, crude fiber, reducing sugars and low content of amylose, amylopectin and starch after germination. These cultivars hold great potential after germination and would open up a useful opportunity for the food industries to use them as an ingredient in functional foods. Consumption of these cultivars as ingredients in functional foods after germination would afford greater health benefits to consumers because of increase of fiber, minerals, amino acids and simple sugars after germination.