Concerted efforts are on in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to bring ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) in the government policy after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s homestate, Gujarat, initiated the proposal of introducing it as a viable solution for treating children from the worst form of malnutrition. Sources say while the ministry of women and child development (WCD) is against the proposal, a fresh debate has, however, started in the PMO between various ministries and health experts about bringing RUTF on the platter. RUTF is mostly used in sub-Saharan Africa, catering to severely malnourished population. However, with no studies and evidences showing its positive impact on the growth of severely malnourished children, the discussions remain inconclusive. “India, so far, does not approve the strategy of using RUTF as there are other low-cost alternatives available in the country itself. However, we are mulling over the proposal by the Gujarat government and are yet to take a decision on it,” a senior official said on condition of anonymity. Almost eight million children in India are severely malnourished and face nine times the risk of death compared to normal kids. The long-standing debate regarding RUTF has taken a fresh turn with the PMO’s intervention. Significantly, in 2008, Unicef had to ship back RUTF which it had distributed in a form of “pulpy nut” to children in Bihar and Madhya Pradesh as an “emergency supply” without taking permission from the government. Unicef was even asked to restore the funds of equivalent value of the stocks of RUTF sent back from India. Unicef had spent about Rs 11.50 crores in procuring the “imported therapeutic food”, a high-protein peanut-based paste. The “miracle therapeutic” food when distributed in some tribal states has, in fact, been rejected.