The land minister on Monday credited the late former president, Ziaur Rahman, with steering the country towards food self-sufficiency through a canal excavation campaign.

Speaking at an event to inaugurate a new excavation project in Naogaon’s Niamatpur sub-district, Mizanur Rahman Minu said Ziaur Rahman had transformed the country from the brink of famine to a grain-surplus nation by taking such initiatives.

“The country had to meet its own food needs,” Minu said, noting that Naogaon was a major rice-producing district and that urban areas were expanding rapidly.

The land minister also addressed corruption in his ministry, saying the government was working to eliminate irregularities. “Action would be taken against those involved in graft,” he said.

“The government wants to work as a public servant,” Minu told the meeting, which was held after he inaugurated the digging of a 1,200-metre stretch of the Bil Lata canal.

He added that he was aware of public grievances over land-related issues and said he would strive to work with honesty. The government’s duty was to serve the people and meet their expectations, he said.

He concluded by reiterating the government’s goal to serve and work alongside the public.