Mysuru: tobacco farmers win financial relief, special Onam trains announced
Tobacco farmers in the Mysuru region received welcome relief after the Tobacco Board raised grants and interest-free loans from Rs 50,000 to Rs 75,000, following persistent lobbying by Mysore-Kodagu MP Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. On the connectivity front, South Western Railway announced two sets of special express trains between Mysuru, Kannur, and Bengaluru Cantonment to handle the surge in travel demand during the Onam festival season in late August.
🏢 Higher aid for tobacco growers following MP's sustained lobbying
The Union government has enhanced financial assistance for flue-cured Virginia tobacco growers in the Mysuru region affected by natural calamities, following sustained lobbying by Mysore-Kodagu Member of Parliament Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar with the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the Tobacco Board. The Board has raised the grant and interest-free loan ceiling from Rs 50,000 to Rs 75,000 per eligible farmer and revised the broader financial assistance package available to calamity-hit growers. Wadiyar expressed gratitude to Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal and the Tobacco Board, stating in a press release that the enhanced financial aid would provide timely economic strength to distressed farmers and help them rebuild their livelihoods after successive natural disasters. He noted that he had consistently urged the central government to raise the relief ceiling, arguing that tobacco farmers in the region faced compounded difficulties from both extreme weather events and inadequate compensation. Beyond the enhanced relief, Wadiyar has also pushed for minimum support prices for Karnataka tobacco growers on par with those received by growers in Andhra Pradesh, contending that the disparity places Karnataka farmers at a significant competitive disadvantage. He has written formally to the Union government pressing this additional demand, emphasising that fair and equitable MSP structures are essential to the long-term sustainability of tobacco cultivation and the wider agricultural economy of the Mysuru region. [5]
🎉 Special trains to clear Onam rush on Mysuru–Kannur–Bengaluru route
South Western Railway has announced two special express services in each direction between Mysuru, Kannur, and Bengaluru Cantonment to ease the anticipated surge in passenger demand during the Onam festival in August 2026. Train No 06227, the Mysuru-Kannur Special Express, will depart Mysuru at 10:30 pm on August 25 (Tuesday) and arrive at Kannur at 2:00 pm the following day. The corresponding return service, Train No 06228, will depart Kannur at 6:25 pm on August 26 and reach Bengaluru Cantonment at 8:35 am the following morning. The second set of services follows a similar schedule: Train No 06229 departs Mysuru at 11:55 pm on August 29 (Saturday) and arrives Kannur at 5:50 pm on August 30; the return, Train No 06230, departs Kannur at 7:45 pm on August 30 and arrives Bengaluru Cantonment at 10:00 am on August 31. All four special trains will operate with 20 coaches each, comprising one AC two-tier coach, two AC three-tier coaches, nine sleeper class coaches, six general second class coaches, and two luggage-cum-brake vans. En route, the trains will halt at Mandya, KSR Bengaluru, Krishnarajapuram, Bangarapet Junction, Salem Junction, Erode Junction, Tiruppur, Podanur Junction, Palakkad Junction, Shoranur Junction, Tirur, Kozhikode, Vadakara, and Thalassery, making them accessible to a broad corridor of passengers across Karnataka and Kerala. [10]
Sources: [5] Deccan Herald · [10] Deccan Herald