Hyderabad, Jan 28 : Telangana Principal Secretary of Industries & Commerce and Information Technology Jayesh Ranjan Today  launched the Hyderabad Chapter of the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI), the voice of the Indian Restaurant Industry. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Ranjan described Hyderabad city as the food hub of Telangana. The foods which were available here have got special recognition Nationally as well as internationally. Several books also highlight the food tradition and food culture of Hyderabad. The Government also got due recognition with the hospitality of the restaurants, he said. In this context, Mr Ranjan said, it was important for the establishment of the Hyderabad chapter of NRAI here. With this, the Hyderabad city was not only getting due recognition but also to the state government for providing employment opportunities to the people. The Principal Secretary said that several training institutes including Institute of Hotel Management (IHM) were situated here to import training on hotel management. He stated that Covid-19 pandemic had severely affected the food service industry. As per study, about 25 lakh people lost their jobs. The NRAI had extended its helping hand to the people even though they were in tough situation during lockdown due to Covid-19 pandemic. Congratulating the NRAI-Hyderabad chapter, Mr Ranjan said that this platform would be useful to bring the problems of the sector to the notice of the government. Speaking virtually, NRAI President Kabir Suri congratulated NRAI-Hyderabad Chapter and thanked the members for agreeing to contribute their valuable time, expertise and efforts to strengthen the Restaurant Industry in Hyderabad. With their significant contribution, I am sure Hyderabad Chapter will soon become one of the leading Chapters of NRAI, he added. Later, speaking to the media on the sidelines of the program, NRAI-Hyderabad Chapter Head Shankar Krishnamurthy said globally, the food services industry was amongst the hardest hit by COVID-19 pandemic, with India being no exception. The industry was expecting some initiatives from Central and State governments especially to revive the industry after the severe impact of pandemic on the hospitality sector, he said. Mr Krishnamurthy said, the NRAI Hyderabad Chapter, which currently has 250 members intends to have 2000 members on board in a year’s time and later spread its wings across Telangana. As per NRAI India Food Services Report 2019, the organized market size of Indian restaurants was Rs 4,23,365 crore. Of them, Hyderabad was Rs 6,037 crore, he added. (UNI)