Book on bamboo's value, sustainable development released
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, October 21 2021: "Green Gold, Bamboo Value Chain Management and Sustainable Development in India", a book authored by Kamesh Salam, former president of World Bamboo Organisation was released by Union minister of Road, Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari in the presence of Union minister of state for New and Renewable Energy, Chemicals and Fertilizers Bhagwant Khuba during the presentation of third edition of 'India Green Energy Awards, 2020' organised by Indian Federation of Green Energy (IFGE) in New Delhi.

A recipient of 'Outstanding Green Activist Award 2018 of India' from the Indian Federation for Green Energy (IFGE), Kamesh Salam started working with communities in Manipur in 1990 and founded Crafts Society of Manipur to promote crafts and artisans of North East India.

Over his 30 plus years' career, he has contributed to the bamboo development programmes of India as a member of the Apex Committee of National Bamboo Mission of India.

He was also associated with various policies and planning activities of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change as member of the first Bamboo Development Committee in 1999 and member of various committees of the Ministry of Textiles on Handicrafts and Bio Diversity Board of Government of Manipur.

He had also worked with PwC, India as external consultant and expert on bamboo resources in 2015 for India's first Bamboo based Indo-Finnish Bio Refinery project planned in Assam.

This Book highlights the Value Chain of six important bamboo products that can harness the potential of Indian Bamboo to make it Green Gold.

The book will be available on Amazon platform.

According to the author, the benefits of bamboo are not new, but the interest in it is.

From being a 'poor man's timber', Bamboo is increasingly being known as the 'most promising wood substitute' or the 'material of future', with the developed nations taking as much interest in it as the developing ones.

Bamboo is a wild-growing woody grass, but was defined as a tree in the Indian Forest Act 1927 .

The Indian Forest Law, which included Bamboo in the 'Schedule of Timber Trees' was meant to impose restrictions on bamboo trade to protect forests, but it also made the cultivation and transportation of bamboo across state lines difficult.

Non-uniform rules and regulations in different states for varying species of bamboo also resulted in tedious negotiations with the forest and police department officials.

The recent amendment (in Forest Laws, which removed Bamboo from the schedule of trees), is a first step in the right direction.

This, if implemented in its spirit and letter, has a potential to bring bamboo out of the 'backyard' into the mainstream, Kamesh added.

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