Bangladesh has advanced eight notches to rank 5th out of 121 countries across the globe on Nikkei's Covid-19 Recovery Index. With a score of 80 on the index, Bangladesh ranks only below Qatar, UAE, Cambodia and Rwanda in the latest edition of the index published last week. Covid-19 infections in Bangladesh have been on a downward spiral in recent months. The country's total fatalities remain unchanged at 29,127, with no new deaths reported for over a fortnight now. This accomplishment stands out as shining testament to Honourable Prime Minister (HPM) Sheikh Hasina’s prudent policies in lifting out the country from the menaces inflicted by the Covid induced shutdowns.

A move is underway to increase the overall allocation to the social security sector in the budget for the 2022-23 fiscal with 1.1 million more beneficiaries are likely to be included under the scheme. At present 5.7 million elderly people in the country are getting old-aged allowance with each of them is getting $7 every month as allowance. With inclusion of 1.1 million people to the scheme in the next financial year, the total number of beneficiaries will stand to 6.8 million. One of the best initiatives of the government is the allowance being provided to different types of beneficiaries under a number of schemes introduced by HPM Sheikh Hasina.

HPM Sheikh Hasina suggested invention of climate tolerance species of crops, food preservation, reduction in post-harvest loss, nutrition security and adaptation of modern technology by the agriculture scientists. She made the suggestion when a Canadian delegation called on her at her official residence Ganabhaban in Dhaka. The Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) of Canada's University of Saskatchewan (USask) opened its regional office in Dhaka last year in a bid to enhance cooperation in research among agriculture research institutes of Canada and Bangladesh. The delegation came to Bangladesh to visit it.

HPM Sheikh Hasina urged the owners and workers of the industries to always keep in their mind the spirit of the immortal May Day and work together for country's industrialisation. "It's the foremost duty of the workers to work honestly and sincerely to keep their industries operative and it's the duty of the owners to look into the wellbeing, working environment and safety of the labour force which is the main component of their income," she said. "It's no doubt that Bangladesh will go ahead if there remain a hearty relation between the owners and workers of the industries and they work complementarily with each other," the premier said hoping that the owners and workers of the industries would nourish the spirit of the May Day and take forward the country toward industrialization.

Bangladesh is among the top 10 destinations in Asia Pacific best positioned for tourism recovery, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit's Travel-ready index 2022. The index measures 28 Asian economies based on the favourability of tourism conditions such as local vaccination coverage, ease of travel, and the convenience of returning home. Bangladesh is seventh on the list and has a final score of 2.85 out of 10 in the index, putting it behind Fuji (1.95), Sri Lanka (2.15), Malaysia (2.15), Maldives (2.2), Singapore (2.45), and Australia (2.55). The EIU said in a report released on April 21 that, "A combination of broader and more effective vaccination coverage and greater reliance on tourism have lent themselves to less restrictive travel policies."

Bangladesh sent emergency medical supplies to Sri Lanka as the island nation faces one of the worst economic crises since gaining independence. At a token handover ceremony held at the State Guest House Padma, Bangladeshi Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen and Health Minister Zahid Maleque handed over a few boxes of medicines to the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Bangladesh Sudharshan D.S. Seneviratne. According to media reports, the supply of medicine as an expression of solidarity and friendship between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, at a time when the two countries are celebrating 50 years of their diplomatic relations.

Digital leaps have helped Bangladesh navigate the pandemic, said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's ICT Advisor Sajeeb Wazed Joy in an opinion piece published in The Washington Times last week. In the article, titled, "Digital leaps helped Bangladesh navigate the pandemic", Joy states that digital Bangladesh provided answers to many of the labor and economic questions posed by the pandemic. "The Covid-19 pandemic disrupted labor markets around the world and continues to do so today. The short-term consequences were rapid and acute. Millions of people were furloughed or fired, and millions more began working from home. The long-term repercussions are still being debated, but one thing is certain: the demand for labor and the way we work has changed forever," the opening lines of the opinion piece read.