The first round of the Prime Minister’s Internship Scheme (PMIS) pilot project received an encouraging response, with 28,141 applicants (aged 21-24) accepting internship offers from partner companies. This is out of 82,077 offers made to 60,866 candidates, as informed in Parliament on Tuesday.

Uttar Pradesh led with the highest number of accepted offers (4,656), followed by Bihar (2,418), Madhya Pradesh (2,058), Andhra Pradesh (1,970), and Assam (1,780).

Minister of State for Corporate Affairs Harsh Malhotra, in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, stated on Tuesday that the joining process for selected candidates began in December 2024. Companies will assess interns periodically and upload quarterly reports on the dedicated portal.

Announced in Budget 2024-25, PMIS aims to provide internship opportunities to one crore youth in top 500 companies over five years. 

The pilot project, launched on October 3, 2024, initially targeted 1.25 lakh internships for FY 2024-25. The first round saw over 1.27 lakh opportunities offered nationwide, with Tamil Nadu (14,585), Maharashtra (13,664), Gujarat (11,690), and Karnataka (10,022) leading in openings. The scheme attracted 6.21 lakh applications from 1.81 lakh applicants.

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday clarified in Rajya Sabha that PMIS is designed to enhance employability by offering industry exposure and is not intended to provide direct employment. Sources indicate the second round of the pilot project may launch soon.

As per guidelines, the 12-month internship requires at least half the duration to be spent in actual work environments rather than classrooms.

Under the PMIS, there will be an allowance of ₹5,000 per month and ₹6000 as a one-time grant to an intern. 

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Published on February 4, 2025