Chandigarh, April 10 -- The Punjab government on Thursday issued an advisory to all the administrative secretaries to verify the status of departmental funds and ensure stricter financial oversight in the wake of the Rs.590 crore IDFC First Bank scam linked to eight Haryana government departments. According to official communications, seen by HT, the administrative secretaries of all the departments have been asked to reconcile their department-wise bank balances with actual funds and immediately flag any discrepancies, especially in those accounts operating in private banks. Departments handling substantial financial resources in routine, including local bodies, urban development, health, public works department (PWD), mandi board, and education, have been specifically advised to exercise caution, as many of them maintain accounts in private banking institutions. The finance department has further advised that all major financial transactions should preferably be routed through government or public sector banks to reduce exposure to private banking risks. The financial embezzlement in Haryana came to light on February 24 with the arrest of Ribhav Rishi and Abhay Kumar, both former employees of IDFC First Bank, along with business partners Swati Singla and Abhishek Singla of Swastik Desh Project. Their arrests came a day after an FIR was registered under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Prevention of Corruption Act. The investigation by the Haryana State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau has found that Rs.590 crore was embezzled from accounts of at least eight Haryana government departments, including the development and panchayats department and the Haryana State Pollution Control Board. The funds, meant to be parked as fixed deposits at IDFC First Bank's Sector 32, Chandigarh, branch, were allegedly siphoned off through 12 compromised accounts. The Haryana government on Thursday handed over the probe to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and also suspended two IAS officers. According to a senior IAS officer, privy to the development, the instructions have been issued to the officers to keep a close watch on the accounts, even as no information about any discrepancies has emerged till now....