Chennai, Jun 12 (Reporter) Soon after releasing waters from the Mettur dam on the scheduled date of June 12, Thursday, for irrigation and enable farmers in Cauvery delta region to take up Kuruvai crop cultivation, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin brought more cheers to them by hiking the procurement price of paddy to Rs 2,500 per quintal. Speaking at an official function in Salem soon after opening the sluice gates of the Stanley Reservoir for irrigating more than 17.15 lakh acre of farm lands, began his address with an announcement that the farmers would henceforth get Rs 2,500 per quintal as procurement price for paddy. Mr Stalin said the procurement price for ordinary variety of paddy has been raised to Rs 131 and for fine variety to Rs 156. Thanks to this hike, the farmers would get procurement price of Rs 2,500 for ordinary variety and Rs 2,545 for fine variety. This will benefit more than 10 lakh farmers, he added. Stating that the Cauvery waters was the lifeline for delta districts to be known as the rice bowl of Tamil Nadu, the Chief Minister said, by storing the cauvery water to irrigate 16 districts, the Mettur dam was opened on the scheduled date for the last four years including today, much to the delight of farmers to enable them to take up Kuruvai crop cultivation. "With such immense happiness, I have come to Salem to attend this function after opening the dam for irrigation", he said, and announced that by adding more happiness to farmers, they would now get an enhanced procurement price of Rs 2,500 for paddy per quintal. During the function, Mr Stalin inaugurated 225 completed projects and laid foundation stone for 509 new ones at a total cost of Rs 1,649.18 crore, and distributed welfare schemes to 1,01,203 beneficiaries to the tune of Rs 204 crores...////...