With the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) seeking records from different government departments and district administrations, the Punjab Government has put in place a state-level coordination mechanism to deal with the investigation.The move follows the CBI’s request for the original file relating to the processing and issuance of an arms licence in Mohali, besides records governing the collection and expenditure of donations by the district branch of the Indian Red Cross Society, as part of its investigation into a corruption case in which Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s Officer on Special Duty (OSD) Rajbir Ghuman is among those booked.A memorandum issued by the Department of Personnel (IAS Branch) to all Special Chief Secretaries, Additional Chief Secretaries, Principal Secretaries, Administrative Secretaries and Deputy Commissioners designates the Personnel Policies-2 Branch as the nodal agency for coordinating with the departments and offices concerned regarding any information, record or document sought by the CBI in the case.The memorandum, signed by Special Secretary Personnel Gaurav Jain, directs every department and office concerned to nominate a nodal officer well conversant with the relevant facts and records.The nominated officer will be responsible for furnishing the information and records sought by the CBI after prior intimation to the Department of Personnel.Importantly, the state government has also made the nodal officers responsible for the custody of original records that may be required to be produced before a court on the advice of the Advocate General.Departments have also been directed to immediately provide the Personnel Policies-2 Branch copies of all communications received from or sent to the CBI for record purposes.The memorandum also addresses the custody of original documents. Departments that have already submitted original records relating to matters handled by the Department of Personnel have been asked to retrieve those originals against submission of duly certified copies for retention in the department’s records.Home Dept issues separate instructionsSeparately, the Punjab Home Department’s Home-2 Branch issued instructions in connection with the same CBI case.The communication, addressed to the district and police authorities concerned, including the District Magistrate, Mohali, and senior police officials, stresses the need for coordination with the CBI and the Home Department.It directs the offices concerned to appoint nodal officers for this purpose and furnish their names, designations, places of posting, mobile numbers and official email IDs to the Home Department through its designated email address.The communication further makes the authorities concerned personally responsible for ensuring that the requisite information is furnished within the stipulated time.The two communications underline the government’s effort to centralise coordination of the CBI probe through designated nodal officers while ensuring proper custody and documentation of original records. The Mohali administration has accordingly appointed a nodal officer to deal with the CBI investigation and coordinate the submission of documents and information sought by the agency.