Finance Minister Sitharaman launches mobile app for PM Internship Scheme

Launching a dedicated mobile application for the Prime Minister Internship Scheme, Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday urged more companies to join the programme while appealing the MPs to encourage youth to join the scheme.

Targeted at providing 1.25 lakh internship opportunities to the youth during 2024-25, the pilot project of the scheme was launched on October 3, 2024.

“The scheme is aimed at getting youth from Tier II and III cities and help them to understand the skills that are required by the industry as well as the job availability,” Sitharaman said, after launching the app in New Delhi.

Maintaining a shortage of people in terms of industry expectations and requirements and the scheme is aimed at bridging that gap, the FM emphasised that there is no compulsion on industry and no interference.

“The scheme is for a national cause,” Sitharaman asserted, while urging more companies to be part of it.

Exhorting the Indian industry to participate in the larger interest, she said, “You need to open the window... for people to have a peek.”

Speaking on the occasion, Minister of State for Corporate Affairs Harsh Malhotra said the scheme provides on the ground experience for youth and will help in contributing towards Viksit Bharat.

“In the first round of the scheme's pilot project, more than 1.27 lakh internship opportunities were provided by the companies and the second round of the project started in January this year under which over 1.18 lakh internship opportunities have been posted by around 327 companies. The deadline for applications in the second round is March 31,” he shared.

Sitharaman informed that the scheme’s website and app are being made more accessible. It is available in various languages, she said, adding that every language should have its prominence and interns will be provided monthly financial assistance of Rs 5,000 for 12 months and a one-time grant of Rs 6,000 under the scheme.

“The scheme, announced in the 2024-25 Union Budget, aims to provide internship opportunities to one crore youth in the top 500 companies in five years,” she recalled, while stating that the top 500 companies have been identified by the Corporate Affairs Ministry, which is implementing the scheme, on the basis of their average CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) expenditure over the last three years.

Stating that more companies beyond the top 500 ones are expected to join the scheme, Corporate Affairs Secretary Deepti Gaur Mukherjee said the government has also introduced a framework for assessment of the implementation of the pilot project.