Lucknow, June 20 -- The Housing and Urban Planning Department has been designated as the nodal agency for the proposed Kashi-Vindhyan City Economic Region (CER), one of the economic regions selected by the Centre under its new urban development initiative. Principal secretary (Planning) Alok Kumar said the department would coordinate the implementation of the project, which is expected to involve investments of up to Rs.5,000 crore over the next five years. The Kashi-Vindhyan CER will cover about 23,000 sq km across seven districts, with Varanasi at its core and major impact on Mirzapur, Ghazipur, Jaunpur, Bhadohi, Chandauli and Sonbhadra. The initiative aims to develop clusters of cities and surrounding areas as integrated economic zones rather than planning each city in isolation. A CER links a major city with surrounding towns, industrial clusters, labour markets and supply chains to promote region-wide economic growth. Announced in the Union Budget 2026-27, the scheme seeks to strengthen infrastructure and economic activity in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, reduce pressure on metros and support the development of emerging urban growth centres and temple towns....