Here are the big stories from Karnataka today

Karnataka Today newsletter: Millions across State read preamble of the Constitution, and more

Millions of people across Karnataka joined Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in reading the preamble of the Indian Constitution on September 15, which is celebrated worldwide as the ‘International Day of Democracy’. More than 2.31 crore persons, including schools and colleges, government offices, and even banks and corporate offices, across Karnataka registered for the programme to read the preamble.

The UN declared September 15 as the International Day of Democracy in 2007, and all democratic countries started observing the day from the year 2008. The objective of reading the preamble of the Constitution is to create awareness about freedom of women, press freedom, communal harmony, protection of human rights, and dignity of life to all, Social Welfare Minister H.C. Mahadevappa said.

The special investigation teams (SITs) formed by the Karnataka government to probe civic works sanctioned between 2019-20 and 2022-23, during the tenure of the BJP, have started inspecting the quality of works in Bengaluru. On September 15, a large tranche of files relating to the Road Infrastructure Department was handed over to the SIT team headed by Bengaluru Regional Commissioner Amlan Aditya Biswas.

The Urban Development Department (UDD) had set up four SITs on August 5. The teams are headed by Ujjwal Kumar Ghosh (Solid Waste Management), Amlan Aditya Biswas (Road Development), P.C. Jaffar (stormwater drain) and Vishal R. (Lake Development). However, the SITs may not look into the 40% bribery allegations against BJP ministers levelled by contractors, as Justice Nagamohandas Commission is probing these accusations.

The Udupi mallige is widely grown in the village of Shankarpura — home to a large Christian community — in Udupi. This crop, accorded a GI tag, has been cultivated here since the mid-1930s. While the current weather is perfect for this variety of jasmine, it also means a larger-than-usual supply of flowers, and a dip in their rates.

The flowers usually fetch around ₹2,000 per atte (a bunch of over 3,000 buds) during this time. But according to the Udupi Mallige app, developed in 2019, the average rate since the last week of August has been hovering around just ₹550-₹600. Flower sellers in the district are now pinning their hopes on Ganesh Chaturthi, and expect that the rates may spike closer to the upcoming festival.

The demand to regularise Vijayapura-Mangaluru Junction Express Special on special fare — which has been operational for nearly two years now — has gained momentum.