HYDERABAD:Telangana will be the first State to come up with a culinary policy, said Tourism Secretary B. Venkatesham.
The policy is likely to be made public sometime in November, as it awaits clearance from Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.
Mr. Venkatesham along with Telangana State Tourism Development Corporation Chairman P. Ramulu was present at ‘Karampodi’, a restaurant in Film Nagar, that was adjudged the best. On Friday the restaurant announced offering a ‘Kakatiya Special Thali’ that has exclusive Telangana cuisine.
Tax/cash incentives
“We are working on exclusive Telangana restaurants. The Government will offer tax incentives for the first five years and for those restaurants that come up outside the State, there will be cash incentives,” he said.
The endeavour, Mr. Venkatesham and Mr. Ramulu said, was to showcase Telangana cuisine to the world, reviving age-old and almost forgotten home-made recipes of the State. He appreciated the owners of the restaurant - Ajay, Shyam Jampala and Kiran for their effort in making available the exclusive recipes for the benefit of connoisseurs.
Emulating Tilak
Mr. Ramulu said that the Bathukamma Festival would be used to promote the State in the same fashion as Balagangadhar Tilak did to promote the Ganesh Festival. On October 8, a ‘Maha Bathukamma Festival’ would be held at the Lal Bahadur Stadium in which an estimated 10,000 women will participate, he said.
Mr. Shyam Jampala and Mr. Ajay, both techies and food specialists, said that a dining experience at Karampodi would remind people of their roots, traditions, their granny and village. Mr. Ajay said, “Karampodi is a restaurant with a difference and our unique selling proposition is ‘Srimanthudu Dosa’ made of edible, 23.5 karat gold, named after the lead actor Mahesh Babu in the film.”
