ISLAMABAD (August 06 2009): Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) on Wednesday unveiled Credit Plan amounting to Rs 80 billion for the financial year 2009-10 for different development schemes. President ZTBL Zaka Ashraf announced the credit plan in a press conference.

These schemes include revival of Micro Credit Scheme & Credit to Women Program to assist government's efforts for poverty alleviation, Nestle & PDDC and Dairy Milk Processing Units for the development of dairy sector, provision of loans to implement the federal as well as Punjab province's schemes ie Benazir Tractor Scheme & Green Tractor Scheme, and acquiring necessary IT infrastructure and software for the implementation of Benazir Zarai Card Scheme.

It also includes encouraging solar energy & wind mills to facilitate the rural poor for availability of electricity, encourage lending for water conservation projects to provide support for cultivation of flowers in potential areas, encouraging plantation of crops (Jatropha, Sukhchien etc) for production of Bio-diesel, collaboration with foreign lending agencies/bank's to secure more resources for agri-lending, development of model villages by providing credit & technology support and lending (providing fertilisers, seeds and pesticides to help farmers obtain quality inputs at regulated prices).

On this occasion President ZTBL announced record 1358 promotions for the officer cadres to redress the grievances among the officer community of the bank. In general, cadre of officer grade II promoted into officer grade I are 723 and in computer cadre, officer grade II promoted into officer grade I are 26. While in general cadre, grade I promoted as Assistance Vice President (AVP) is 578 and in computer cadre, officer grade I promoted as Assistant Vice President is 31.

Ashraf promised to announce promotions of AVP to Vice President (VP). He congratulated the promoted officers and advised them to work hard so that ZTBL could become one of the best banks of the world. He said he increased a 20 percent in salaries despite various problems at the time of taking charge and announced to redress all the grievances of the employees of the banks.

He mentioned that the ZTBL has made record disbursement, recoveries and deposits in the history of the bank. ZTBL, he expressed, is now a stable financial institution of Pakistan. He declared that ZTBL would manage the country, self sufficient in food grains. He revealed that now, non performing loans (NPL) of ZTBL had remained only 15% now which shows bank's best record.

Courtesy Copyright Business Recorder, 2009