NEW DELHI, March 18: In a significant step toward empowering India’s youth, Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday launched a dedicated mobile application for the Prime Minister Internship Scheme (PMIS). The app aims to facilitate easy access to internship opportunities and is designed with a user-friendly interface, allowing eligible candidates to register via Aadhaar face authentication and explore internships based on their preferences, including location and other criteria. The app sends real-time alerts to keep candidates updated and provides a dedicated support team to assist users throughout the application process.
At the launch event, Sitharaman praised the Prime Minister’s vision of schemes focused on employment, skill development, and youth opportunities, emphasizing that the PM Internship Scheme bridges the gap between academic learning and industry needs, enhancing the employability of young people in India. She also urged industries to actively participate in the scheme, highlighting that their involvement would help create a skilled workforce and contribute to nation-building.
Harsh Malhotra, the Minister of State for Corporate Affairs, highlighted that the PMIS app would greatly improve access to internship opportunities for young people, streamlining the connection between students and leading companies across India. He also mentioned a new referral program that allows registered youth to refer other eligible candidates and earn rewards.
The PM Internship Scheme, announced in the Union Budget for 2024-25, aims to provide internships to one crore youth in the top 500 companies over the next five years. The scheme, which provides paid internships, began with a pilot project in October 2024, offering 1.25 lakh opportunities for the financial year 2024-25. The internships, designed to last for at least six months, aim to provide young people aged 21-24 with valuable industry experience while enhancing their employability. Interns receive ₹5,000 per month in financial assistance, along with a one-time ₹6,000 financial support.
The pilot project has seen significant success, with over 1.27 lakh opportunities posted across 745 districts during the first round, with more than 82,000 offers extended to candidates. Round II of the pilot, which began in January 2025, saw an even greater response, with 327 companies offering over 1.18 lakh internship opportunities. These opportunities cater to a range of qualifications, including graduates, ITI holders, diploma holders, and even 10th-grade passouts, spanning sectors like automobile, banking, finance, travel, hospitality, and more.
In addition, over 80 outreach events have been held at educational institutions, colleges, and Rozgar Melas across India, where youth have had the chance to engage with industry representatives and learn about the scheme. The PMIS portal’s dashboard has also been redesigned to offer greater details about available opportunities. A framework for assessing the implementation of the project has been introduced in Round II, encouraging greater participation from all states and union territories.
The application window for Round II of the PM Internship Scheme remains open until March 31, 2025. Eligible youth are encouraged to apply via the new mobile app or the PMIS portal at https://pminternship.mca.gov.in/.
