The Telangana Chefs Association (TCA), affiliated with the Indian Federation of Culinary Associations (IFCA) and the World Association of Chefs' Societies (Worldchefs), celebrated its 7th anniversary with the 'Safe Food – Safe Nation' Conclave at Taj Deccan, Hyderabad. The event brought together renowned chefs, hospitality professionals, government dignitaries, healthcare experts, academicians, students, and food entrepreneurs to highlight the importance of food safety, sustainability, and culinary excellence.

The celebrations began with an inaugural address by Chef Amey Marathe, President of the Telangana Chefs Association, who welcomed the guests and outlined the association's vision of strengthening the culinary profession while promoting food safety as a shared national responsibility.

The conclave was attended by Mr. Pascal Loreau, Head of the Bureau de France; Chef Vijayabaskaran, General Secretary of IFCA; Chef Dharmender Lamba, Founder President of TCA; Mr. Hugo Cauvet, Director of Alliance Française of Hyderabad; and Mr. Arnab Gupta, General Manager, Taj Deccan, Hyderabad. During the event, the association also presented its annual report, showcasing its achievements, training programmes, competitions, CSR initiatives, and professional development activities over the past year.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Pascal Loreau highlighted the growing collaboration between France and Telangana in tourism and gastronomy while expressing his appreciation for Hyderabad's rich culinary culture.

Mr. Hugo Cauvet spoke about the long-standing partnership between Telangana and the city of Bordeaux, noting that culinary exchanges, gastronomy, and wine-related collaborations have become some of the most successful initiatives under the cooperation agreement.

Congratulating the association on its milestone, Chef Vijayabaskaran praised TCA's growth over the past seven years and emphasised the importance of making Indian cuisine more globally recognised. He also stressed that food safety should never be compromised, adding that while presentation is important, it holds little value if food is not safe for consumption. He encouraged industry stakeholders to focus equally on education and compliance to strengthen food safety standards.

Addressing the gathering, Chef Amey Marathe underlined that every meal served represents an act of trust between consumers and the culinary community. He reaffirmed the association's five-year commitment to the 'Safe Food – Safe Nation' mission and announced plans to work closely with organisations such as GHMC and FSSAI to strengthen food safety awareness and industry best practices across Telangana.

Chef Dharmender Lamba, Founder President of TCA, urged chefs to wear the chef's coat with pride and responsibility, describing it as a symbol of trust and professionalism. Chef Naveen Nagraj, General Secretary of TCA, highlighted the association's efforts in raising culinary standards while supporting education, skill development, and social responsibility across the hospitality sector.

One of the key moments of the conclave was the 'Safe Food – Safe Nation' Oath, administered by Chef Vijayabaskaran. Chefs, educators, hospitality professionals, students, and dignitaries pledged to uphold the highest standards of food hygiene, nutrition, quality, and public health.

The event also featured a series of technical sessions by leading national and international experts. Chef Garima Arora addressed participants virtually on food safety in Michelin-star restaurants, while Dr. Chef Rajeev Goyal discussed Indian gastronomy and its impact on human health. Chef Takamasa Osawa from Japan shared insights into the global popularity of Biryani, and Dr. Naveen Polavarapu from Yashoda Hospitals spoke about food and waterborne diseases. Additional sessions by Ms. Rabia Jaffar and Shika Singh focused on leadership, storytelling, communication, and public speaking.

A major highlight of the celebrations was the signing and exchange of Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with organisations including the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), Telangana State Biodiversity Board, Telangana Forest Department, and Telangana Tourism. These partnerships aim to promote safe food practices, biodiversity conservation, culinary tourism, sustainable gastronomy, and community engagement across the state.

The conclave also hosted an expert panel discussion on 'Safe Food – Safe Nation', bringing together chefs, healthcare professionals, and food safety experts to discuss nutrition, sustainability, food standards, and the future of responsible gastronomy in India.

As part of its commitment to social responsibility, the Telangana Chefs Association recognised organisations and individuals contributing to skill development and hospitality training for underprivileged youth. Community leaders and child nutrition advocates were also honoured during the event.

The association officially released the TCA Magazine, featuring culinary innovations, research, industry insights, and the association's achievements. Several awards were presented during the celebrations, including the Telangana Culinary Unsung Heroes Awards, Culinary Guiding Star Awards, and TCA Academic Contribution Awards, recognising excellence across the culinary and hospitality education sectors.

The evening concluded with a high-level panel discussion on 'Food Safety & Future', attended by Shri Jayesh Ranjan, IAS, industry leaders, and senior chefs. The session explored emerging trends in food safety, technology, sustainability, and hospitality, followed by the 7th Anniversary cake-cutting ceremony, networking dinner, and interactions among chefs, educators, hospitality professionals, and international delegates.

Scientists at IIT Mandi have developed a fully operational Landslide Early Warning System (LEWS) for the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR), aiming to improve disaster preparedness as climate change continues to increase the frequency of landslides across the region.

The research was led by Prof. Dericks Praise Shukla from the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at IIT Mandi, along with research scholars Mr. Ankit Singh and Mr. Nitesh Dhiman.

The Indian Himalayan Region is among the most landslide-prone areas in the country, with frequent slope failures causing significant loss of lives and property, especially during the monsoon. The newly developed LEWS has been designed to forecast landslide risks using real-time rainfall data and topographical susceptibility, allowing authorities to take preventive measures before disasters occur.

Explaining the significance of the system, Prof. Dericks Praise Shukla said:

"At the very onset of the monsoon, our Landslide Early Warning System (LEWS) provides daily landslide forecasts through a web-based application. The system is designed to help identify high-risk areas in advance, enabling authorities and communities to undertake timely evacuation and disaster preparedness measures."

He further added that satellite-based early warning systems are among the most effective investments in disaster risk reduction, as they convert scientific data into timely and actionable decisions. According to him, a region-wide forecasting platform like LEWS can strengthen disaster preparedness, improve response time, and enhance coordination among disaster management agencies, particularly during the monsoon season.

Unlike many existing landslide warning systems in India that are limited to smaller geographical areas, IIT Mandi's LEWS covers the entire Indian Himalayan Region, making it one of the country's most extensive landslide forecasting systems.

The research team developed the system through a multi-stage process. They first mapped landslide susceptibility using nearly 26,000 landslide records from the Geological Survey of India (GSI) database. The team then combined multiple landslide-triggering factors with ensemble machine learning models to improve prediction accuracy.

To estimate rainfall-induced landslide risks, the researchers developed the P-RIL (Probability of Rainfall-Induced Landslides) model using data from the NASA Global Landslide Catalogue and seven rainfall parameters obtained from IMERG satellite datasets. Since the model analyses rainfall data from the previous 15 days, it can dynamically adapt to changing weather conditions.

The final daily landslide forecast is generated by combining the static susceptibility map with the dynamic P-RIL model through probability analysis. The results are presented in percentile-based risk categories, making the forecasts easier for users to understand.

To make the system easily accessible, the IIT Mandi team has also developed a Google Earth Engine (GEE)-based web portal. The platform allows users to view landslide forecasts for the current day and the previous three days, download forecast bulletins in PDF format, and receive WhatsApp alerts for selected locations.

According to the researchers, the operational Landslide Early Warning System will play an important role in disaster preparedness and risk reduction across the Indian Himalayan Region by providing timely, location-specific warnings that can help reduce both human and economic losses.

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