President Droupadi Murmu is on a three-day official visit to Himachal Pradesh beginning Tuesday, 7 October 2026, headlined by her role as chief guest at the inaugural convocation of AIIMS Bilaspur and a scheduled visit to the Atal Tunnel at Rohtang — the world's longest highway tunnel. The visit is the first time the President has attended a convocation at the institute since its inauguration.

Inaugural Convocation at AIIMS Bilaspur

President Murmu presided over the first-ever convocation of AIIMS Bilaspur as the chief guest, conferring degrees on the inaugural batch of MBBS graduates who completed their medical education at the institute. Governor of Himachal Pradesh Kavinder Gupta, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu, and Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Jagat Prakash Nadda were also present at the ceremony.

The convocation marks a significant milestone — not only for the institute but for the region's healthcare aspirations. AIIMS Bilaspur was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 5 October 2022, with its foundation stone laid by the Prime Minister in October 2017 under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana. The hospital was built at a cost of over ₹1,470 crore.

The facility spans 247 acres and houses 18 speciality and 17 super-speciality departments, 18 modular operation theatres, and 750 beds including 64 ICU beds. It admits 100 students to MBBS and 60 students to nursing courses annually, and extends specialist health services through camps in high-altitude tribal regions such as Kaza, Saluni, and Keylong.

Visit to the Atal Tunnel at Rohtang

On 7 October, President Murmu is scheduled to visit the Hidimba Temple in Manali and the Atal Tunnel in Lahaul-Spiti district. The visit carries additional significance: her earlier planned visit to the tunnel during a previous Himachal Pradesh tour in April had to be cancelled due to adverse weather conditions.

The Atal Tunnel — inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi on 3 October 2020 — is the longest highway tunnel in the world at 9.02 km. Built in the Pir Panjal range of the Himalayas at an altitude of 3,000 metres above sea level, it provides all-weather connectivity between Manali and the Lahaul Valley, a region that was previously cut off for approximately six months each year due to heavy snowfall.

The tunnel reduces the road distance between Manali and Leh by 46 km and the travel time by four to five hours. It is a horseshoe-shaped, single-tube double-lane structure with an 8-metre roadway, designed for a traffic density of 3,000 cars and 1,500 trucks per day at a maximum speed of 80 km per hour. The South Portal is located 25 km from Manali at 3,060 metres, while the North Portal near Teling village in Sissu sits at 3,071 metres.

Security and Logistical Arrangements

Authorities have put in place comprehensive security and traffic management measures across Bilaspur and along the President's travel routes. Arrangements reviewed include security deployment, traffic management, parking, medical services, drinking water, power supply, and emergency preparedness.

President Murmu is staying at the tourist resort of Manali during the visit and is scheduled to return to New Delhi on 8 October, concluding the three-day official programme.

Strategic Significance of the Engagements

Notably, the twin engagements highlight India's expanding institutional and infrastructure footprint in the Himalayan region. AIIMS Bilaspur represents the Centre's push to democratise tertiary healthcare in the hill states, while the Atal Tunnel has fundamentally altered logistics and livelihoods for Lahaul-Spiti — one of India's most geographically isolated districts. The President's visit lends symbolic weight to both projects at a time when northern connectivity and border-region development remain policy priorities.