PM Internship Scheme has the potential to bridge the gap between classroom learning and industry expectations- Finance Minister

The Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, in the presence of MoS Corporate Affairs,  and MoS Road and Transport  Shri Harsh Malhotra launched  a dedicated mobile app for the Prime Minister's Internship Scheme on 17^th March, at Samanvay Hall No. 5, at Parliament, New Delhi.

The App has the following features:

• Intuitive interface with a clean design and effortless navigation
• Easy registration through Aadhaar face authentication
• Effortless navigation - Eligible candidates can sift through opportunities by location etc.
• Personalized dashboard
• Access to a dedicated support team
• Real time alerts to keep candidates abreast of new updates

Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman commended the Prime Minister's vision in introducing a package of five schemes to promote employment, skilling, and opportunities. She emphasized that the PM Internship Scheme has the potential to bridge the gap between classroom learning and industry expectations, thereby enhancing youth employability. She further urged the industry to actively participate in the scheme, highlighting that their involvement would contribute to nation-building while fostering a skilled workforce in the country.

The Minister of State, Shri Harsh Malhotra observed that the launch of the PMIS App will significantly enhance accessibility to internship opportunities for the youth.

With the PMIS application, the users can also explore the referral program recently announced by Ministry of Corporate Affair (MCA). The referral program would enable the registered youth to refer other eligible candidates for the scheme and win rewards. The registered youth on the PM Internship portal (web browser) can also participate in this referral program.

The Prime Minister’s Internship Scheme (PMIS Scheme) announced in the Budget 2024-25, aims to provide internship opportunities to one crore youth in top 500 companies in five years. As an initiation to this Scheme, the Pilot Project targeted at providing 1.25 lakh internship opportunities to the youth was launched on 03.10.2024 for the Financial Year 2024-25. Salient features of the Scheme are:

• 12-month paid internships in top companies of India.
• This scheme provides an opportunity to the youth to get training, and gain experience and skills within the real-life environment (at least six months) of the businesses or organizations that help in bridging the gap between academic learning and industry requirements, in turn, assisting enhancement of her/his employability.
• The scheme targets individuals aged 21 to 24 who are currently not enrolled in any full-time academic program or not in full-time employment, offering them a unique chance to kick-start their careers.
• Each intern will be supported with monthly financial assistance of ₹5,000, supplemented by one-time financial assistance of ₹6,000.

In the round I of the pilot project (October – December 2024), over 1.27 lakh opportunities in about 745 districts were posted by around 280 companies across 25 sectors. Over 82,000 offers were made to the candidates.

The round II of the Pilot Project commenced in January 2025 and about 327 companies have posted more than 1.18 lakh opportunities (both new and edited unfilled opportunities of the previous round) across the country.  Of these, around 37,000 opportunities are for graduates, 23,000 for ITI holders, 18,000 for diploma holders, 15,000 for 12th-grade and 25,000 are available for candidates with 10th qualifications. Opportunities spanning across various sectors such as Automobile, Travel & Hospitality, Banking & Finance etc. and varied job roles, such as sales and marketing, technical roles for ITI passouts, HR internships, and more, have been provided. These opportunities are spread across 735 districts in all states and union territories of the country.

In Round II of the Pilot Project, initiatives have been undertaken to enhance access to and spread awareness about the PM Internship Scheme. The dashboard of the PMIS Portal has been simplified, made more user-friendly, and greater details of the opportunities and roles offered have been provided. Officials from the MCA, state governments, and industry partners interacted with the youth at more than 80 outreach events held at various educational institutes, such as colleges and Rozgar Melas.

A framework for assessment of the implementation of the Pilot Project, and to acknowledge and reward the efforts of the State and UTs in the implementation of the PMIS, has been introduced in round II of PMIS.

The internship application window for round II is open up till 31^ST March, 2025. 

Eligible youth can apply through the new mobile app or through the Portal accessible at https://pminternship.mca.gov.in/.

PM Internship Scheme app expands youth access to paid internships, streamlined registration, and a referral programme. The Prime Minister's Internship Scheme establishes a government facilitated paid internship programme with 12 month placements emphasizing at work training to improve employability, targeting 21-24 year olds not in full time education or employment and providing monthly and one time financial assistance; a dedicated mobile application with Aadhaar face authentication, personalized dashboards, searchable opportunities, real time alerts, and a referral programme supports applicant access, while pilot rounds, outreach events, and an assessment framework are used to expand coverage and monitor State and UT implementation.