New Delhi, Sep 29 (IANS): There will be social audit of the soon-to-be launched urban development schemes to promote transparency and accountability in their execution, Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said here Monday.

He was speaking at the first meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee of the ministry.

The minister also announced setting up of consultative committees at district level for monitoring the implementation of the projects.

Co-chaired by local Members of Parliament and the district collector, these committees will examine the resource position of the urban local bodies and their ability to execute the projects.

Giving an account of the governance deficit in respect of most of the urban local bodies in the country, Naidu said that civic bodies should hold general body meeting and adopt a resolution on implementation of urban reforms.

He also said that the government's big-ticket schemes like new urban development initiatives like building 100 Smart Cities, 500 towns and Heritage Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) would be launched soon.