The minister informed the house that a total of 705 poachers had been identified and 661 of them had been arrested since 2001.

Rhino horns, used in traditional medicine in southeast Asian countries, sold for Rs 3 crore apiece in China and Rs 2 crore in Myanmar, she added.

Poachers had killed rhinos across all four natural habitats in the state, Kaziranga National Park, Manas National Park, Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary and Orang National Park, from 2001 to July 2016. A majority had been killed in Kaziranga, famous for its one-horned rhinos.

Brahma, in reply to a query from Congress MLA Ajanta Neog during question hour in the assembly, said, "The morale of the forest staff is low. There is not even basic infrastructure for them. Transit camps are in a dilapidated condition and there are no facilities of drinking water. They do not even get their ration every month. It comes once or twice a year," she said.

Brahma added that the forest staff did not have uniforms either. "How will they survive? I discussed the issue with the chief minister. We are serious about stopping poaching," she said.

On the use of archaic .303 rifles by forest guards to fight poachers armed with sophisticated AK series of rifles and US-made carbines, she said, "We need to modernise guards' equipment. We need to provide them with good transit camps, uniforms, shoes and all other facilities. My first priority is to prevent poaching, but I cannot claim that I will be able to fully eliminate it," Brahma said.

She said there was a thriving international market for rhino horns. "The price of a horn in the state is Rs 1.5 lakh or more. Once it crosses the international border, its value increases. In Myanmar, it is sold for Rs 2 crore and, in China, for Rs 3 crore. Unless we break this racket, sporadic incidents of poaching will continue," the minister said.

She said the government was currently working towards fulfilling a short-term goal of modernising the arms and equipment of forest guards at a cost of Rs 25 crore.

On a written question from BJP MLA Padma Hazarika, who alleged that government officials, including police, were involved in poaching, Brahma said she did not have any proof of that yet.

She stated, "We hope that within the next three months, our strategy will be ready."

The government's long-term vision would focus on development of forests for the benefit of the future generation, Brahma added.