New Delhi, Dec 15 (IANS): As part of a month-long programme to showcase the redevelopment of 'Kashi Vishwanath Dham' corridor, the Union Urban Development Ministry and Uttar Pradesh Urban Development Department will be organising a conference of Mayors on December 17 in Varanasi. Mayors of over 200 cities are invited for the conference. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually address the mayors' conference.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has appointed Rajya Sabha member and national general secretary Arun Singh as in-charge of the programme. National vice president of BJP's women wing Rekha Gupta has been made co-incharge of this programme.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri are likely to attend the conference. It is learnt that invites for the conference have been sent to over 200 mayors and the organisers are expecting that most of them will attend the conference.

Over 100 mayors have already accepted the government invite for the conference and more will send it.

"Invites have been sent to all the mayors in the country and we are expecting all of them will attend the conference which will be virtually addressed by Prime Minister Modi. The conference will provide all the mayors to exchange ideas and learn best practices from others," Rekha Gupta said.

Sources said that mayors are taking a city tour of Varanasi on December 16 to show the massive redevelopment of the first phase of 'Kashi Vishwanath Dham' corridor which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi on December 13.

After inauguration, a two-day conclave of chief ministers of BJP-ruled states were also organised in Varanasi.

Today on December 15, BJP chief JP Nadda and all the chief ministers went to Ayodhya to offer prayers at the birth place of Lord Ram. All the mayors participating in the conference are also likely to visit Ayodhya on December 18.