KOLKATA, 26 JUNE: The state water resource investigation and development department has declared 38 blocks out of 341 blocks as "black zone'' where the groundwater level has gone down alarmingly. Mr Swapan Mahapatra, state minister for water resource, investigation and development department, said, these blocks have been identified in Burdwan, East Midnapore and Birbhum where people have been asked to use surface water. He said his department has been recharging ground water and has tied up with the state panchayat and rural department to dig up canals and ponds under the MNREGA programme to store rain water. He said schools in these blocks have been identified where rain water harvesting could be done. He however, said that people should not panic as groundwater level often decreases in summer. Exhibition on swamiji The state youth affairs minister Aroop Biswas today said in reply to a question by CPM MLA Upen Kishku, that his department has already spent Rs17.50 lakh in organising a three-day exhibition, to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekanada. The exhibition will be held from 10 to 12 January, 2013, in the Jungle Mahal areas. His department has also distributed solar lamps to beneficiaries in 24 blocks of Jungle Mahal. The beneficiaries were selected by the district magistrates of three districts. ‘Massive scam in agri-marketing dept during LF regime’ KOLKATA, 26 JUNE: The state agri-marketing minister Arup Roy today said that during the Left Front regime there had been a massive scam in the department. Mr Roy said during the Left regime, his department had purchased potatoes worth Rs 400 crore and that potatoes worth Rs 180 crore have already been destroyed by rats. "We have received many complaints against the toll collected by the regulatory market set up during the Left regime. We will do away with the practise and the people involved will be absorbed in different departments." sns