Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Wednesday told the representatives of six ethnic communities that the state government will give land patta (deeds) to one lakh landless families by March 2020 and another one lakh in the next fiscal.

Sonowal held a meeting here with the representatives of six ethnic organisations to learn about their demands and aspirations to be reflected in the state budget to be presented next month.

Leaders of the organisations said Sonowal and his cabinet colleagues were silent when they raised their demand for Scheduled Tribe status.

Sonowal sought suggestions from the six communities to improve their socio-economic conditions.

The chief minister said the state government has been working to safeguard the cultural, linguistic and customary traditions along with their rights on mati and bheti, as a part of which land deeds will be distributed.

Finance minister Himanta Biswa Sharma said even in the past after discussion with the six communities, efforts were undertaken to reflect their aims and aspirations.

“Now also the government will show its sincerity in giving adequate representations of the issues and demands of different ethnic communities in the state budget,” he said.

Milan Buragohain, the joint general secretary of the All Tai Ahom Students’ Union (ATASU), said among others, they have suggested the government to set up a hostel in Guwahati and another in New Delhi where students can stay free of cost and set up a Tai school in each district of Upper Assam.

Representatives from the Kalita Janagosthi Sanmilani, Keot Jatiya Prishad and Sodou Asom Sut Parishad also met Sonowal and put forward their demands to be reflected in the budget.