Over 100,000 Internships Up for Grabs in PM Internship Scheme Round 2

Over 100,000 internship opportunities are available in the second round of the pilot project under the PM Internship scheme, the corporate affairs ministry announced on Thursday. These offers have been placed by more than 300 major companies, marking a significant expansion of the initiative.

In the first phase of the program, 280 of the 500 selected companies—including industry giants like Reliance Industries, Tata Consultancy Services, HDFC Bank, Maruti Suzuki, Larsen & Toubro, and Mahindra & Mahindra—had collectively placed 127,000 internship offers, surpassing the initial target of 125,000. The first round saw an overwhelming response, with approximately 620,000 candidates applying for these opportunities.

The ministry had previously instructed the remaining 220 companies, selected based on their corporate social responsibility (CSR) spending over the three years leading up to 2022-23, to participate in the second phase. Additionally, other companies not originally included in the top 500 have also shown interest in offering internships under the scheme.

The ministry's statement did not specify how many candidates from the first round have commenced their internships.

Under the scheme, each selected intern will receive a monthly allowance of Rs 5,000 for a year, along with a one-time grant of Rs 6,000. The government will cover Rs 60,000 annually per intern, while participating companies will contribute Rs 6,000, which they can account for as part of their CSR spending.

"Eligible youth can explore and apply for internships based on their preferred district, state, sector, and area of interest. They can also filter internships within a customizable radius from their specified current address," the ministry said in a statement. Each applicant is allowed to apply for up to three internships before the application deadline.

A dedicated portal has been set up by the ministry to facilitate the placement of offers by companies and the application process for candidates.

Looking ahead, the government aims to further expand the scheme in the upcoming fiscal year to accommodate more candidates. Initially announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the 2024-25 budget, the program targets providing internship opportunities to 10 million young Indians in 500 top companies over the next five years, thereby enhancing their employability prospects.

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