New Delhi, May 9 :     A proposal has been mooted in the government to bifurcate the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and one of the objectives is to bring the special crimes division of the investigating agency under the Union home ministry. Well-placed sources in the CBI said the idea to divide the agency germinated a couple of months ago when the Union home secretary proposed a 'federal law enforcement agency', which would specifically investigate federal crimes anywhere in the country without having to acquire permission from state governments. The proposal has gained currency now and an inter-ministerial group of officials will be set up under the chairmanship of Cabinet secretary Prabhat Kumar to study in detail how to go about bifurcating the premier investigating agency, whose administrative functions are supervised by the department of personnel and which is answerable to the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) in matters of investigation. Other officials in the inter-ministerial group will be drawn from the home ministry, personnel ministry and CVC. According to the proposal, the CBI will be split into two separate divisions - the anti-corruption wing and the special crimes unit. The special crimes unit will be entrusted with the responsibility of investigating 'federal crimes' committed anywhere in the country. The anti-corruption wing will pursue cases of corruption among Central government officials. Once the proposal is cleared, the anti-corruption wing may not have to seek permission of the states to investigate corruption cases against officers belonging to the all-India services like the IAS and IPS posted in the states and districts. The CBI bifurcation may mean that the two distinct divisions will have separate chiefs. The CBI is governed by the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1950, and the agency's original charter envisaged pursuing of cases of corruption among Central government employees and officials belonging to public sector undertaking (PSUs). It was only later that the CBI began to be entrusted with special crimes - politically-sensitive cases, major kidnappings and murders committed by organised criminal gangs and crimes with international dimensions. This continues to be considered a 'burden' on an under-staffed and poorly equipped agency. 'Once a final decision is taken, the CBI will go back to its original responsibility of investigating corruption cases against Central government employees and PSUs,' an agency source said. Government officials said as long as no separate federal law enforcement agency is created, the CBI's special crimes unit, proposed to be brought under the jurisdiction of the home ministry, will be given the power to pursue federal crimes.