CHENNAI, April 13 -- Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday took strong exception to the allegation levelled by the chief minister M K Stalin that the Centre has ordered Tamil Nadu not to provide incentives for procurement of paddy from farmers.

Addressing an election rally in Thanjavur on April 11, Stalin claimed that the Centre has sent a letter to the Tamil Nadu government advising it to discontinue providing incentive for the paddy procured from farmers as it was leading to an increase in production.

In a social media post on Sunday, the finance minister said, "The communication sent not only to Tamil Nadu but to the chief secretaries of all States is merely an advice that the incentive policies provided by state govern...