Photo: pminternship.mca.gov.in

As many as 6.5 lakh youth had applied for internships under the PM Internship Scheme in Top Companies (Scheme) pilot project as of Friday last, when the window closed for the 1.27 lakh opportunities initially being offered by Corporate India under the scheme, according to government sources.

The project is aimed at providing on-the-job training to one crore people over five years.

The number of applications does not equate to the number of individual applicants, clarified an official source, as every applicant can apply for five different internships that have been offered.

The scheme’s pilot, learnings from which would be used to scale it up for a full-fledged roll-out, has attracted internship offers from 280 major firms such as Tata Steel, ITC Limited, ICICI Bank, and the Mahindra Group.

The deadline for applications was extended from November 10 to November 15 to provide youngsters more time to apply.

Unemployed youth between 21 and 24 years of age, who do not have a family member earning over ₹8 lakh per annum, are eligible for the scheme.

Companies that have signed up for the scheme would now begin the selection process. As per the original timeline, the selected interns are expected to begin their year-long tenure with companies on December 2.

Many youth who had registered said they were hopeful of getting selected, while for a few it was a “back-up” option.

College professors said while students were enthusiastic, very few had applied as only those not currently enrolled in full-time programmes were eligible.

On October 3, the portal was launched for companies to register and opened for applicants on October 12 for profile creation.

On October 23, the applications for internships began officially. Applicants have been asked to keep an eye out on the portal, and via mail for updates.

“For those of us who are looking for a future in academics or preparing for civil service examinations, this scheme is ideal,” said Kratika Verma, 22, who recently graduated from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), with a master’s in disaster management, and plans on pursuing a PhD.

While applying, candidates could key in preferences such as sector, functional role, State and district. According to the dashboard on the PM internship portal, internships have been offered across States and Union Territories, with the highest being in Maharashtra at 14,694, followed by Tamil Nadu at 13,263. The lowest was from Lakshadweep, which had just two offers.

Delhi offered a total of 3,543 opportunities.

According to the Ministry of Corporate Affairs’ guidelines, companies will pay ₹500 per month from their CSR funds, based on attendance and conduct, after which the government would initiate a direct benefit transfer of ₹4,500 to the intern’s Aadhaar-seeded bank account.

A one-time grant of ₹6,000 for incidental expenses would be provided to an intern upon joining.

While for those such as Kratika the stipend of ₹5,000 is a “huge bonus”, some feel they would not be able to sustain with ₹5,000 per month, for an entire year.

Ravikant Tiwari, 19, a third-year student at Aryabhatta College, who had applied under the scheme, said he was worried that his expenses might exceed the stipend amount. At the Delhi University, an official said while there was interest in the scheme among students, many had also applied for the six-month vice-chancellor internship scheme – initiated last year – that offers a stipend of ₹5,500 per month.

New Delhi:

More than 90,800 internship opportunities have been offered by 193 companies so far on the portal for the Prime Minister Internship Scheme ahead of the commencement of registration of applicants from October 12, sources said on Friday.

Jubilant Foodworks, Maruti Suzuki India, Eicher Motor, Larsen & Toubro Ltd., Muthoot Finance and Reliance Industries are among the 193 companies that have offered the opportunities, they said.

The portal was opened on October 3 for companies to post the opportunities.

Under the scheme’s pilot project, which is estimated to cost around Rs 800 crore, internships will start on December 2. It is expected to cover 1.25 lakh candidates in the current financial year ending March 2025.

The sources at the corporate affairs ministry said the number of opportunities posted on the portal surged to 90,849 on October 11.

The opportunities are spread across 24 sectors. The maximum number of opportunities is in the oil, gas & energy sector followed by travel & hospitality, automotive, and banking and financial services, among others.

As per the sources, the opportunities are available in over 20 fields, including operations management, production & manufacturing, maintenance, sales & marketing.

In terms of geography, the sources said opportunities are available across 737 districts, spread over 36 States and Union Territories.

The scheme, announced in the Union Budget 2024, will be implemented through the online portal ‘www.pminternship.mca.gov.in’ developed by the corporate affairs ministry.

The government aims to provide internships for 1 crore candidates, in the age group of 21-24 years, over a period of 5 years.

An intern will receive monthly financial assistance of Rs 5,000 for 12 months and a one-time grant of Rs 6,000.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

 The PM Internship Scheme aims to provide internship opportunities to one crore youth in 500 top CSR spend companies in the next five years. Representational file image.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) on Tuesday (October 1, 2024) said it is working closely with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) to facilitate the implementation of the Prime Minister’s Internship Scheme that was announced in the Budget.

The PM Internship Scheme aims to provide internship opportunities to one crore youth in 500 top CSR spend companies in the next five years.

Also read | Budget proposes five schemes with outlay of ₹2 lakh crore to generate jobs for youth

CII is acting as a critical facilitator between the government and the industry, ensuring the scheme’s effective rollout, the industry body stated.

The PM Internship Scheme will enhance youth employability in India by offering them hands-on exposure to real-world business environments.

The scheme will also benefit the industry by creating a pipeline of skilled, work-ready youth who can be employed post-internship both in large as well as micro, small and medium enterprise, CII stated.

The MCA has also launched a dedicated, user-centric portal for the scheme, which will serve as a centralised hub and a link between the companies and the aspiring interns, allowing smooth navigation of the scheme’s application and participation processes.

“With industries grappling with a growing talent shortage, the PM Internship Scheme provides a crucial bridge. By offering on-the-job training to youth, it will prepare them to meet the evolving Industry demands, while ensuring that businesses get access to a skilled and agile future workforce, fostering progress and innovation,” CII Director General Chandrajit Banerjee said.

“With internships for one crore youth across sectors, including Manufacturing and services, this scheme will cultivate a skilled workforce ready to take on future challenges,” stated Sanjiv Puri, President, CII and Chairman & Managing Director, ITC Ltd.