Assam cabinet minister Chandra Mohan Patowary on Saturday said there will be no blanket ban on buying and sale of land in the state.

“Anybody willing to set up hospitals, schools, industrial units, projects which generate employment, can buy land. We will soon release the details but I can say that those buying land will have to adhere to conditions or approval will be revoked,” he said.

The Sarbananda Sonowal cabinet had on December 22 decided that buying and selling of land in the state would be regulated under the new land policy which will confine buying and selling between khilonjiyas (the indigenous populace) except those willing to invest in employment generating projects.

Patowary’s remark is significant because he is heading the committee set up to finalise the rules and regulations.

At present, barring the Sixth Schedule areas such as the BTAD, the three hill districts and 17 tribal belts and 30 tribal blocks, buying and selling of land is open to outsiders.

“We are working on and will release the details by January,” he told The Telegraph after a news conference where he said the investment climate had improved in the state with over Rs 65,000 crore coming in, after Advantage Assam Summit here in 2018. “We should try to ensure that peace and development continues as these investments will create lots of jobs,” Patowary said.

However, there is no official definition of who is an indigenous/khilonjiya/Assamese. The Centre has set up a committee under Clause 6 of the 1985 Assam Accord which is taking views of all stakeholders to arrive at a decision. The state government has requested the committee to submit its report by January.

Clause 6 of the Assam Accord provides for constitutional and administrative safeguards to the Assamese/indigenous peoples’ rights over land, language, culture, politics and economy.

The state government has gone on an overdrive to convince the people of the state that their land, language and political rights will not be affected by the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

The anti-CAA brigade, however, is convinced that the law will see the Assamese become minority in their own land.

Patowary also said since fresh investment will create a lot of jobs, Assam was building a world class skill university, the first in the country, at Mangoldoi with an investment of Rs 950 crore. “It is important we maintain peace and the pace of development,” he said.