Bhubaneswar, May 21: People will shortly be able to get an array of daily-need services, such as security, carpentry, plumbing and electrical works, as the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to set up 10 livelihood centres here involving the urban poor of the city.

The livelihood centres will function from the existing community centres in various parts of the city and will become a platform to give jobs to the skilled people among the urban poor in various services that are in demand.

"The centres will bridge the gap between the demand and supply of various services. We have invited interested agencies, mainly voluntary organisations, to run the centres. To start with, we have decided to open three such centres in the city," said deputy commissioner Srimanta Mishra.

Another major service that will be offered through these centres would be capacity building of self-help-groups for marketing their produce.

"There are a number of self-help-groups in the city. But their products are not enough gaining popularity reportedly due to lack of marketing avenues. The livelihood centres will provide them the right platform to popularise their products," said an official of the municipal corporation.

Recently, the civic body has selected two voluntary organisations that will run three such centres at Brahmeswar Patna, Raghunath Nagar in Dumduma and Bharatpur.

Sources said that the funds to run these centres would come from the Centre's National Urban Livelihood Mission (NULM).

Each centre will get an annual grant of Rs 10 lakh for creating basic infrastructure and training facilities for staff and overhead expenses, such as rent and amenity bills.

"The city is witnessing rapid urbanisation and slum dwellers or the urban poor are the most vulnerable group. The livelihood centres will benefit them," said Sumeet Mahapatra, a social worker.

City mayor Ananta Narayan Jena said that the civic body was taking a number of steps for the overall development of the people of the middle and low-income groups.

"We have initiated housing projects for the people of the economically-weaker sections. If we are evicting them for some development works, we are also rehabilitating them," said Jena.

"The people belonging to the middle and high-income groups can access various services from the urban poor, while the scheme will also give the latter a scope to earn their livelihood," he said.