New Delhi (PTI): The government has decided to set up six rehabilitation and recuperating centres for ailing and destitute pachyderms -- both domesticated and in the wild.

The centres, to be set up for the first time in the country, will come up in Haryana, Orissa, Kerala and Karnataka.

"These centres will start functioning by early next year. In Haryana, the forest department has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with an wildlife NGO to establish one such rehabilitation centre," Project Elephant Director A N Prasad told PTI.

These centres would be manned by trained forest department personnel and 'mahouts'.

The Government under its ambitious Project Elephant plan launched on the lines of the Project Tiger will help the state governments in setting up these centres as it will impart technical guidelines and manpower skills to respective states.

"The Elephants that will be brought in these centres will include domesticated and destitute ones including those with various temple trusts in the country," Prasad said.

There have been numerous cases when the giant Indian beauty has been left to fend for itself after it was rendered incapacitated from circuses and private owners.