Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to deliver the inaugural Nitte Vinaya Hegde Oration on the theme 'Viksit Bharat - Vision for 2047' on April 28, 2026, at K.S. Hegde Auditorium in Mangaluru, Karnataka, India. This annual lecture series honors the late Justice K.S. Hegde and aims to foster discussions among national leaders and public intellectuals on pressing contemporary issues. The event will be presided over by Justice N. Santosh Hegde, with notable guests including Karnataka Legislative Assembly Speaker U.T. Khader and BJP leader Captain Brijesh Chowta.

In a related development, Sitharaman chaired a high-level meeting on April 23, 2026, focusing on emerging threats from Artificial Intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity. She urged banks to implement pre-emptive measures to protect their IT systems and customer data against potential misuse of AI technologies. The Finance Minister acknowledged the progress made by banks in enhancing cybersecurity but stressed the need for heightened vigilance and coordination to address these unprecedented threats effectively.