Food insecurity has become a major concern for low-income communities in Bangladesh amid the pandemic. Also, there is very little health and safety awareness, while mental and physical healthcare demand is at a high. To cushion the impact of Covid, Citibank NA Bangladesh has donated Tk91 lakh to Sajida Foundation, a non-government organisation (NGO) specialising in healthcare and financial services. Also read: Japan, ASEF provides PPE for COVID-19 response in Bangladesh The NGO will support the low-income, vulnerable families with food, health and hygiene kits, dedicated physical and mental healthcare support through remote consultation services with the contribution. The Sajida Foundation programme will also provide livelihood recovery support through a blended finance package that includes training and in-kind donations over an extended period. It will be implemented in Dhaka, Chattogram, Chandpur and Keraniganj. Also read: COVID-19 Response: Japan provides ASEF equipment to Bangladesh N Rajashekaran, Citi country officer said: "The second wave of Covid-19 pandemic in Bangladesh has drastically hit the low-income communities. Many people have lost their livelihoods and aren't able to make ends meet. This initiative is designed to cover all essential needs of a vulnerable family by ensuring food, healthcare, and livelihood." Sajida Foundation CEO Zahida Fizza Kabir said: "We are identifying the most vulnerable people using a combination of seven dimensions including economic, health, education, living conditions, disability and more. These households require sustained support and will receive a blend of short term and long-term assistance to recover from the pandemic."

American multinational investment bank Citigroup announced on Thursday that it will exit retail operations in India and 12 other countries, and instead focus on wealth management and institutional businesses. New York-headquartered Citigroup's subsidiary Citibank is India's largest foreign bank. Citibank India's core services include investment and retail banking, capital markets, risk management and credit cards. In a statement, Citigroup Chief Executive Jane Fraser said, "Citigroup will depart China, India and 11 other retail markets, where we don't have the scale we need to compete." Apart from India and China, Citigroup will pull out from Australia, Bahrain, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Poland, Russia, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. "As a result of the ongoing refresh of our strategy, we have decided that we are going to double down on wealth," Fraser said. "We will operate our consumer banking franchise in Asia and EMEA solely from four wealth centres -- Singapore, Hong Kong, the UAE and London. This positions us to capture the strong growth and attractive returns the wealth management business offers through these important hubs. "We believe our capital, investment dollars, and other resources are better deployed against higher returning opportunities in wealth management and our institutional businesses in Asia," she added. Citigroup recently reported its first-quarter income of USD 19.3 billion and profits of $7.9 billion.