In a significant boost to agriculture in Tamil Nadu, the state's biggest Stanley Reservoir at Mettur has been opened for irrigation today. This is the first time in eight years that the dam has been opened on its customary date of June 12th for agricultural activities, as there is sufficient storage of water. Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswamy opened its shutters this morning, to irrigate the Cauvery Delta basin for the Kuruvai crop season. About 3.25 lakh acres of land is expected to be cultivated in the Delta region this season with the water.<br />'' <br />'' Meanwhile, in an inspiring way, a software engineer in the state has used his spare time during the lockdown and tilled 3000 acres of land in his native village as service.<br />'' <br />'' AIR correspondent reports, in a positive development, a Bengaluru-based software engineer has donned the mantle of a farmer in a sleepy village in Tamil Nadu during the lockdown. Melathulukkanoor is a scenic village in Virudhunagar district, TN. It is surrounded by lush green paddy fields.<br />'' <br />'' The farmers are used to traditional forms of ploughing and tilling the land. The youth named Krishnakumar returned from Bengaluru with the provision to work from home during the lockdown. He wanted to use his spare time in improving the farming method in his village. A Chennai based tractor firm came forward to lend him tractors. He ploughed over three thousand acres of land free of cost to the farmers, easing the burden of the poor villagers. His case is an example of converting the boring spare time during the pandemic into constructive and soul-fulfilling service to the society. <br />