In the preface to the 2007 study report ‘Measures to Mitigate Agrarian Distress in Alappuzha and Kuttanad Wetland Ecosystem,’ M.S. Swaminathan wrote: “We must create a Kuttanad Regeneration Symphony with all the actors playing their part in harmony with each other. Saving the Kuttanad ecosystem and the regeneration of the agriculture of this area has to be a joint Centre-State responsibility.”
As it became glaringly evident later on, many of the far-sighted recommendations of what came to be known as the ‘Kuttanad Package’ never materialised. This was largely due to a lack of coordination among government departments and the chaotic way the schemes were executed. But the study report of the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) did provide a master plan, a way forward, for problem-plagued Kuttanad.
There is no denying that Mankombu Sambasivan Swaminathan, the agricultural scientist and architect of the ‘Green Revolution’ who passed away in Chennai on Thursday, had a soft spot for ‘rice bowl’ Kuttanad.
