Kamesh is a skilled Bamboo management Expert with more than 25 years experience in the bamboo sector, especially bamboo processing, skill development capacity building, planning machinery and development strategies expert with long experience at management level with the community in development work in the bamboo and rattan processing and manufacturing industries and communities. He has worked with UNDP, UNIDO, GIZ, ADB , PwC, India, Royal Govt. of Bhutan on various projects globally and National Bamboo Mission of India and state Governments of NE States in the country. Kamesh is also a skilled Project Manager with deep experience managing and implementing all projects. His interest is in capacity building, skills and community development of the communities.

 - Excerpt from the speech of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, former President of India, on the eve of country's 56^th Republic Day addressed to the nation highlighting the importance given by him to National Bamboo Mission.

The "Green Gold" of the 21^st Century and commonly known as "Poor man's timber", bamboo played a significant role in human society since time immemorial and today it contributes to the subsistence needs of over a billion people worldwide. It has been traditionally used as fuel, food, rural housing and shelter, fencing, tools and various other purposes. In modern days, it is being used as industrial raw materials for pulp and paper, construction and engineering materials, panel products etc. Bamboo, which can be grown easily, much faster in growth than any known tree, eco-friendly and adaptable to various locality factors, is now becoming the most promising wood substitute. It has more than 1500 documents applications, ranging from medicine to nutrition and from toys to aircraft.

According to recent UN statistics, half of India's population does not have access to toilets, with the condition even more dismal in rural areas where around 60% of the population still defecates in the open. Poor and inadequate sanitation accounts for various health-related issues causing economic and social losses. It is estimated that 1.01 lakh government schools do not have toilets for girls, 1.52 lakh schools do not have toilets for boys and a 1.64 lakh schools have dysfunctional toilets. Poor sanitation facilities lead to drop out from schools, especially among girls in the 5-14 age brackets. Retention of the girl child in schools has increased by 30% in schools with access to proper sanitation facilities.

World Bamboo Day was celebrated on 18th September 2012 with grand event organised by Bamboo wishwa along with ADI, ( Association of Designers of India ) and IIID (Institute of Indian Interior Designers) PCERF (Pune Construction Engineers & Research Forum ) at ICC Towers, Pune. An interactive talk by Designer Rebecca Reubens of Rizomes, Ahemedabad was organised on the occasion. An exhibition showcasing various applications of bamboo was also put up. A student competition titled "Bamboo - Design for sustainability" was announced.

The domestic Bamboo industry has been held back owing to a wide variety of issues in its value chains, including regulatory and legislative barriers to cultivation and harvesting of Bamboo, challenges in its procurement, lack of technical know-how among the primary users of Bamboo, lack of market linkages and insufficient market demand. As a result, Bamboo in India remains a material for personal usage in homes; the only products produced industrially are produced by small firms lacking in sufficient capital to pursue value addition or quality enhancement. The study of the Bamboo industry is woefully deficient in India, as is any data on Bamboo trade and commerce in general. The association of Bamboo with livelihood promotion remains confined to handicrafts promotion (A U Khan5, personal communication), as a result of which even government programmes fail to appreciate its industrial potential. In addition, archaic and confusing regulatory regimes as well as conflicting legislation prevent Bamboo from reaching its true potential

The General Conference is the highest decision-making authority of UNIDO; it convenes every second year usually at the Headquarters of the Organization in Vienna, Austria where distinguished delegates from UNIDO's 172 member states congregate to review the activities of the Secretariat and set the course of future interventions.

• GBVCM is building its team of associate bamboo experts to provide services with 25 years of expertise in Bamboo globally.
• GBVCM has engaged in India/ China/Vietnam and South Asia Bamboo industry for 18 years, now with strong links with Global experts.
• GBVCM providing services under agreements to a group of firms and governments in SAARC for Bamboo Clusters and with NRL for bio refinery.
• GBVCM is now engaging with new business and government partners outside India in SAARC Nations.
• GBVCM looks forward to partnering with states of Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya and DHADC, Assam.
• Consultancy services to PwC, ADB, UNIDO, WWF and other agencies.
• Technology based services on value chain management of Bamboo from production to consumption.

"A law defining Bamboo as tree and not grass has impacted the livelihood of millions of people in India and at the same time stunted the growth of Bamboo industry in the country." As "Forest" is under the concurrent list, it is subjected to both state and central laws. This paper gives a brief overview of the central laws on bamboo and an extensive study of the state laws of top ten bamboo growing states. The paper also highlights losses to the exchequer in their revenue collection, due to near zero growth of bamboo industry, by drawing parallels from the revenue collection of its close substitute: timber. Lastly, the paper discusses the immense potential of bamboo as an export commodity with its growing world demand especially in US and Europe.

With the approval of the competent authority, it has been decided to constitute a National Apex Committee (NAC) as per the following composition to review the progress of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme on National Bamboo Mission

During the meeting on 21.06.2016 the matter of developing a National Body for Bamboo development was discussed and it was decided that a Committee be constituted to initiate and prepare a draft proposal for the composition and nature of the proposed National Body for Bamboo development. Accordingly, a Core Committee is constituted to prepare a draft proposal on composition and nature of developing/establishing a "National Body for Bamboo Development, with following composition:

Kamesh Salam, the Founder and Executive Director, South Asia Bamboo Foundation, former president, World Bamboo Organisation, founder of World Bamboo Day, and Co Founder of Bamboo Global Summit is on visit of Goa to from January 15 and would deliver a talk on Bamboo, the green Gold at the Surendrabab Timblo auditorium of Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industries, on Monday, January 18 at 3.30pm. This interaction is organized by Goa State Biodiversity Board (GSBB) to educate people on bamboo biodiversity and its propagation in Goa. Bamboo is an indispensable part of landscape of Western Ghats and Goa and integral part of Goa’s culture.

First meeting of the Core Committee to prepare a draft on composition and nature of developing/establishing a "National Body for Bamboo Development"

In the interest of public service, the Governor of Nagaland is pleased to appoint Shri Kamesh Salam as Consultant under the establishment of the Nagaland Bamboo Development Agency w.e.f 13^th January 2015

Bamboo, widely grown in India, has immense potential to transform the country’s rural economy and contribute to the sustainable development efforts of the country. However, because it is governed by a complex web of forestry laws and policies, there are serious restrictions on its cultivation, harvesting and transportation. These laws, coupled with the contradictory policies on ownership of forest resources and tenure security, along with a lack of institutional mechanisms that would facilitate the same, have made it difficult for India’s rural citizens to unlock the value of this abundant resource. India lags far behind its neighbours—particularly China—in maximising its use of bamboo.