Pran Up takes up programme to stand by the cold-hit

The country's popular beverage brand Pran Up has started the "Spreading Warmth of Love Season 3" programme to extend a helping hand to cold-stricken people.

The programme was inaugurated on Wednesday at the head office of Pran Group in the capital's Badda.

The programme will continue till 5 February, and under this, Pran Up will distribute blankets among the distressed and helpless people of Rajshahi, Dinajpur, Panchagarh, and Thakurgaon of the northern region from 20 January.

Popular actors Fazlur Rahman Babu, Ziaul Haque Palash and popular rapper Rana Mridha – widely known as the Dhakaiya Gully Boy – and Tabib Mahmud will join Pran Up to make this initiative a success.

Elias Mridha, managing director of Pran Group, said that the company has always stood by helpless people.

"We distributed PPE to front-line [novel] coronavirus fighters, set up [novel] coronavirus sample collection booths at hospitals, provided aid to about 70,000 poor families across the country, and this support continues," he said.

"In winter, the people of the northern districts suffer the most. We try every time to help the cold-affected poor people," he added.

Anisur Rahman, executive director of Pran Beverages Limited, said, "The purpose of our campaign is to help cold-stricken people as well as create awareness about used plastics."

"We said in the previous two seasons that if used plastic was submitted, a certain amount of money would be deposited and blankets would be distributed from there. But this time, because of the novel coronavirus, we have called on people to take part in our campaign from home," he continued.

"A video related to the campaign has been posted on Pran Up's Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/PRANUPDRINK/. Participants will be able to post any picture, including pictures of Pran Up, in the comment box of that video," he explained.

"A certain amount of money will be allocated for each post to buy blankets. The more comments you read, the more money Pran Up will allocate. So participants can take part in this campaign and extend a helping hand to the victims of the cold," he added.

"We value the environment. We are making buyers aware that they should throw plastic products in certain places from where plastic can be easily collected and recycled," the executive director further said.

Actor Fazlur Rahman Babu said that this initiative to help distressed and cold-stricken people is highly commendable.

"I feel good to be able to be a part of this initiative. Every organisation now needs to focus on how to recycle plastic waste," he added.

Atiqur Rahman, general manager (Marketing) of Pran Beverages Limited, said, "We have started with distributing 5,000 blankets."

Tanmoy Das, senior brand manager of Pran Up, was present at the occasion.