Founder’s Day will be celebrated at Karnataka Bank’s headquarters on February 18 from 4 p.m.

Retired IAS officer Debasish Panda will deliver the 102nd Founder’s Day lecture of Karnataka Bank here on February 18.

A release here said Founder’s Day will be celebrated at the bank’s headquarters from 4 pm. Mr. Panda, a 1987 batch IAS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre, he has made pioneering contributions across finance, insurance, public health, agriculture, law enforcement, and urban development.

Previously, in the Government of Uttar Pradesh, he introduced India’s largest emergency response system (Dial 112) and modernised urban governance in Greater Noida. His leadership is marked by technology-led governance, institutional building and unwavering public service commitment.

As chairman of Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (2022-2025), he spearheaded the vision of ‘Insurance for All by 2047’, redefined regulatory frameworks, and prioritised customer-centric governance.

As secretary, Department of Financial Services (2020-2022), he led critical banking consolidations, promoted financial inclusion, and managed COVID-19 financial responses.

His leadership across sectors has empowered millions and strengthened India’s administrative and financial ecosystems, said bank managing director and CEO Raghavendra S Bhat. He further said the Founders’ Day lecture will be followed by an all-women classical music ensemble concert by renowned artists, namely Vidushi Manasi Prasad (vocals), Vidushi Sukanya Ramgopal (ghatam tarang), Vidushi C.V. Shruthi (violin), Vidushi Y.G. Srilatha Nikshith (veena), Vidushi Ranjani Siddhanti Venkatesh (mridangam), and Vidushi Bhagyalakshmi Krishna (morsing). The event will be streamed live on the bank’s official social media handles.

Bank chairman P. Pradeep Kumar will preside over the event.