Despite millions of applications in the first two rounds of the Prime Minister Internship Scheme, only 9,453 young people joined the internships. The government shared this data in Parliament in response to a question from Rahul Gandhi.
PM Internship Scheme: Regarding the Prime Minister Internship Scheme (PMIS), Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi questioned in Parliament how many young people have benefited from this scheme so far. In response, Union Minister Harsh Malhotra informed the Lok Sabha that while millions of young people applied in the scheme's two rounds, the number of candidates joining and completing the internships remained very low.
According to the data provided by the government, in the first round, 181,000 candidates applied for more than 621,000 positions. Out of these, 82,000 offers were issued, but only 28,000 candidates accepted them, and approximately 8,700 joined.
Similarly, Round 2 was launched in January 2025, with 71,000 internship offers given to 455,000 young people. To date, a total of 9,453 candidates have either completed their internships or are currently undergoing them.
What is the Prime Minister Internship Scheme (PMIS)?
The Prime Minister Internship Scheme (PMIS) was launched in October 2024. Its objective is to prepare young people across the country for better career options by providing them with work experience. Under this scheme, the target is to provide internships to 1 crore young people in the next five years. In the first year of the scheme, the target was to benefit 1.25 lakh young people.
Who can benefit from this scheme?
Certain eligibility criteria have been set for internships under PMIS. These mainly include the following:
- The applicant's age should be between 21 and 24 years.
- School education should be completed.
- Must possess a diploma or degree from a recognized institution.
- The applicant should not be currently employed in a full-time job.
Two Rounds So Far, What is the Further Plan?
The government has launched the first two rounds of the scheme as a pilot project. Under this, selected young people are getting the opportunity to intern in government departments, PSUs, the private sector, and startups. However, the figures clearly indicate that the number of those accepting offers and actually joining internships is very low compared to the number of applicants.
Budget and Financial Plan
The government has also allocated a budget for this scheme. In the financial year 2024-25, ₹2,000 crore was allocated for the scheme. This has been increased to ₹10,800 crore in the next financial year 2025-26. The government claims that this fund will be used for internship stipends, training infrastructure, and administrative costs.
