E. Chandrasekharan Nair will be remembered as an able administrator who left an indelible imprint in every portfolio he handled during his ministerial tenures spanning three terms.
But Kerala will always cherish this unassuming gentleman politician for his contributions in fine-tuning the State’s famed and unique universal rationing system and furthering the government’s role in making strong market interventions to hold the prices of essential commodities at affordable rates in a consumer society.
He presided over the Food and Civil Supplies Department at a time when Kerala was transforming from an agrarian State to a consumer one.
Belief in rural economy
A firm believer in the sustainability of Kerala’s rural economy, Mr. Chandrasekharan Nair went on to establish a network of fair price shops, known as Maveli stores, that ensured the supply of essential commodities far below the open market rates utilising government subsidies.
This went a long way in preventing profiteering because it ensured availability of essential commodities and prevented the trade from pushing prices beyond a point.
The network of fair price shops have had their ups and downs over the years, but that they continue to be a mainstay in managing the price line despite the shrinking subsidy component is certainly the best tribute that one can pay to Mr. Nair’s vision.
Mr. Nair also gave a direction to the development of tourism as an industry, emphasising on its sustainability, which was actually the precursor of the concept of responsible tourism that is currently the talk of the town.
He promoted Kerala as a destination for ecotourism, experimenting with the Thenmala ecotourism project, which later became a favourite destination. The Kerala Tourism Development Corporation made much headway during his tenure as Tourism Minister in 1996-2001.
Mr. Nair’s visionary zeal could be seen in the cooperative sector, developing cooperative societies into cooperative banks. As Animal Husbandry Minister, he was instrumental in establishing a welfare fund scheme for dairy farmers.
Mr. Nair was not exactly a doctrinaire communist but would not deviate from his party line.
Whoever interacted with him, be it a politician or bureaucrat or a common man, they always had a high comfort level in their interactions.
His friendship cut across political lines. His successors as Food and Civil Supplies Minister made it a point to consult him before taking decisions.
