Prime Minister Internship Scheme: Creating Jobs and Skills Development: On 23rd July, the Government of India unveiled the annual Union Budget for the following financial year. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman outlined several transformative policies aimed at boosting economic growth and job creation, launched new regimes, increased standard deduction rates, and made adjustments in tax slabs influencing the salaries of individuals.
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Budget for PM Internship Scheme 2024
The annual financial statement included multiple schemes and initiatives to facilitate employment, skilling, and other opportunities for 4.1 crore youth over five years. The central government initially allocated ₹2 lakh crore for these initiatives in the Union Budget of 2024.
One of the key programs under the Prime Minister’s package, the PM Internship Scheme, was launched to skill more than 1 crore unemployed youth by providing them the opportunity to work in India’s top companies.
Evolution from 2024 to 2025:
The scheme, structured in two phases, commenced in 2024. Phase 1 spanned two years, establishing the framework, engaging companies, and facilitating initial placements. Phase 2, extending over the next three years, aimed to expand opportunities and fine-tune training methodologies based on insights gained in the initial phase.
Participating companies committed to providing selected candidates with 12 months of hands-on business exposure and skill enhancement. To ensure sustainability, companies were required to finance training costs and contribute 10% of the total internship expenditure through their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds.
Additionally, at least half of the training had to involve practical work experience instead of theoretical sessions.
By early 2025, several key advancements were made:
Increased Funding: The budget for the PM Internship Scheme was significantly raised to ₹10,831 crore in the Union Budget 2025-26, a notable increase from ₹380 crore in the previous year. This funding boost was aimed at scaling up the initiative and providing broader internship opportunities.
Pilot Phase Success: The pilot project, launched in October 2024, set a goal of placing 1.25 lakh interns. By January 2025, over 1.27 lakh internship positions were offered by participating firms, attracting 6.21 lakh applications. Out of these, 82,077 internship offers were made, with 28,141 candidates accepting the placements.
Growing Industry Participation: The program witnessed active involvement from major corporations, including Reliance Industries, Tata Consultancy Services, HDFC Bank, and Maruti Suzuki. An additional 80 companies joined the initiative in 2025, expanding the reach of the scheme.
Enhanced Training Measures: To ensure effective skill development, companies unable to provide direct practical training were encouraged to collaborate with other firms within their industry networks to offer hands-on experience to interns.
During the 2025 budget speech, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman emphasized that the program aims to bridge the gap between academic knowledge and industry requirements. The focus is on equipping youth with real-world exposure rather than offering guaranteed employment, thereby making them more job-ready.
As of 2025, the PM Internship Scheme continues to evolve, addressing implementation challenges and optimizing its structure to maximize impact on workforce preparedness and employment opportunities. For the latest updates and application details, visit the official portal.
Overview of the Prime Minister Internship Scheme
| Topic | PM Internship Scheme |
| Announcement by | Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman |
| Type of Initiative | Internship Program |
| Eligibility Requirement | Unemployed Youth |
| Benefits | Monthly Stipend |
| Monthly Stipend Amount | Rs 5000 |
| One Time assistance | Rs 6000 |
| Internship opportunity in | Top 500 Companies all Over India |
| Mode of Registration | Online |
| Official website | pminternship.mca.gov.in. |
Several eligibility criteria have been set to ensure that the scheme benefits those most in need. Candidates who are unemployed and aged between 21 and 24 with no ongoing education meet the eligibility, whereas individuals with IIT, IIM, IISER, CA, CMA, etc qualifications are ineligible. Those who have a family member as an income tax assessee or in a government job are also executed.
Prime Minister Internship Scheme for more than 1 Crore Youth
Interested candidates will need to register themselves through an online portal, which is yet to be announced. Companies will select the interns from a shortlist and the emphasis will be on those with low employability rates. The selected candidates will get a stipend of 5000 rupees each month and an additional one-time assistance of 6000 rupees.
Main Objectives of Budget 2024 Prime Minister Internship Scheme
The Prime Minister’s New Internship scheme aims to bridge the gap between education and employment by creating opportunities and enhancing skill development among unemployed youth. In addition to the PM’s Internship Scheme, the Government of India has previously launched a national portal called NITI AAYOG.
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Eligibility Requirements for the Prime Minister Internship Scheme:
- Only those aged between 21 and 24 who are not employed or engaged in full-time education will be eligible for the Budget 2024 internship scheme.
- The candidates who have completed their studies at Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT), Indian Institutes of Management (IIM), Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISER) are NOT ELIGIBLE for the internship.
This portal allows eligible students to register for unpaid internships, providing them with hands-on work experience and exposure to real-world business environments. Altogether, the government continues to pave the way for more skilled and employable youth in India.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
Prime Minister’s Employment and Skilling package, this initiative will provide valuable hands-on experience at leading companies across the country.
All those candidates who are interested and eligible can submit their application in the prescribed format on or before the last date.
The registration process is mandatory and can be completed with the official website
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