Govt reveals low participation in PM internship scheme, only 6% of candidates joined

Only 6% of candidates who were offered internships under the Prime Minister Internship Scheme (PMIS) have joined, and the overall offer acceptance rate stands at 33%, according to data shared by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in a written reply to Parliament on July 23.

The PMIS was launched in the 2024-25 Union Budget with the objective of providing internship opportunities to one crore youth in the top 500 companies within five years.

The pilot phase of the scheme began on Oct 3, 2024, targeting 1.25 lakh internship opportunities in the first year.

In the first round, partner companies posted over 1.27 lakh internship positions. Approximately 6.21 lakh applications were received from around 1.81 lakh registered candidates.

More than 82,000 offers were made to over 60,000 applicants, with about 28,000 candidates accepting the offers. However, only 8,700 candidates actually joined the internships.

The second round of the pilot project, launched on Jan 9, saw participation from 327 companies offering more than 1.18 lakh internship roles across 735 districts.

These included both newly listed and previously unfilled positions. As of July 17, more than 71,000 offers had been extended, and over 22,500 had been accepted. The onboarding process is still ongoing.

A total of over 3.38 lakh candidates completed registration in Round I, while Round II saw more than 3.46 lakh registrations.

The scheme is open to candidates who have completed Class 10, Class 12, ITI, polytechnic, diploma, or undergraduate degrees from non-premier institutions.

ITI applicants must have a matriculation certificate and a relevant trade qualification. Diploma holders need to have completed intermediate education along with an AICTE-recognized diploma.

Degree holders must possess a bachelor's degree from a UGC- or AICTE-recognized university. The age limit is 18 to 24 years, with relaxations for candidates belonging to OBC, SC, and ST categories.