The first cohort of interns under the Prime Minister Internship Scheme (PMIS) commenced their internships across 34 States and Union Territories on Monday.

Corporate Affairs Ministry (MCA), which is administering the PMIS, had earlier specified December 2 as the first day for commencement of internship under a pilot project for the 1.25 lakh internship opportunities that were available across 745 districts and 25 sectors.

“On day one of the PM Internship Scheme pilot project, our first cohort of interns from 625 districts have begun their internships across 34 States/ UTs across the length and breadth of the country! It is a significant step in what promises to be a transformative journey. All the best to our interns! @nsitharaman @ MCA21 India”, said a social media post from MCA at platform “X” on late Monday evening.

However, the actual number of interns that joined their internship on December 2 was not disclosed. 

Under the pilot programme, as many as 280 corporates out of top 500 CSR spenders had offered 1.28 lakh internship opportunities. PMIS has in all received 6.2 lakh applications and the window for youth registration was closed on November 15. 

Under PMIS, more than 1.25 lakh internship opportunities are available across 745 districts and 25 sectors.

PMIS was announced in this year’s budget to ensure the skilling of youth (aged 21-24) to enhance their employability. 

This initiative, which is part of Prime Minister’s package of five schemes announced in this year’s budget to facilitate employment, skilling and other opportunities, aims to skill 1 crore youth over five years. 

Modi 3.0 government had in this year’s budget unveiled a ₹ 2 lakh crore ($24 billion) spending plan for job creation and skilling of 4.1 crore youth in next five years.

The PMIS is being administered by Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA). Under the pilot programme, the dedicated PMIS portal —-www.pminternship.mca.gov.in— was opened on October 3 for corporates to onboard and register their internship opportunities. 

PMIS allowed youth to apply for upto 5 internship opportunities in their own State or any other State. The response to the Prime Minister Internship Scheme has been overwhelmingly positive, with a diverse range of industries eager to engage young talent and shape the future workforce. 

The window for corporate registration under the scheme closed on October 20.

The pilot scheme under PMIS was launched on October 3 for corporates to onboard and register their internship opportunities. The window was opened on October 12 for Youth registration.

The PMIS was launched to address the growing need for employable skills and industry readiness among India’s youth.

The Government has set aside ₹800 crore for the pilot scheme, which aims to provide 1.25 lakh internships to youth aged between 21 and 24 in FY’25.

Youth aged 21-24 and who have passed 10th, 12th, ITI, Polytechnic, Diploma or graduates were eligible to avail the benefits under the scheme. 

Top 500 corporates by CSR spend (average of last three financial years) had been allowed to participate in the scheme and offer internship opportunities to youth.

PMIS is aimed at providing young Indians with practical industry experience and enhancing their employability. 

PMIS seeks to bridge the gap between academic learning and industry requirements by offering internship opportunities across diverse sectors such as technology, manufacturing, finance, retail, healthcare, and more. 

Some of the top corporates who have offered internship opportunities to youth include Mahindra & Mahindra, Tata Consultancy Services, Larsen & Toubro , Reliance Industries, HDFC Bank, Maruti Suzuki, Tech Mahindra, ONGC, Bajaj Finance, Eicher Motor, Max Life Insurance, Muthoot Finance, Shriram Finance and Jubilant Foodworks. 

PMIS Benefits 

Under the PMIS, there will be an allowance of ₹5000 per month and ₹ 6000 as a one-time grant.

MCA has recently stipulated that internship aspirants looking to avail benefits of PM Internship Scheme need to possess Aadhar number or undergo Aadhaar authentication. 

Meanwhile,  Harsh Malhotra Minister of State in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs and Minister of State in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, said in a written reply in Rajya Sabha that the PM Internship Scheme provides an opportunity to the interns to get training, gain experience and skills within the real-life environment of the businesses or organisations that helps in bridging the gap between academic learning and industry requirements, in turn, assisting enhancement of her/his employability.

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