PM Internship Scheme : India’s leading corporations, including Reliance Industries, Maruti Suzuki, and ONGC, are actively supporting the Prime Minister’s Internship Scheme (PMIS). However, fund utilization remains disappointingly low, with only ₹48.41 crore spent from the allocated ₹2,000 crore. Limited participation due to location constraints and long internship durations has emerged as a key challenge to the scheme’s success.
PM Internship Scheme : Strong Industry Participation, But Poor Fund Utilization
Top companies like Reliance Industries, Maruti Suzuki, ONGC, Jubilant FoodWorks, and Eicher Motors are playing a significant role in PMIS, offering thousands of internship opportunities.
Despite this, only ₹48.41 crore out of the ₹2,000 crore allocated for the scheme has been utilized, according to a report by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance. The low expenditure raises concerns about the program’s effectiveness in addressing youth employment.
PM Internship Scheme : Internship Offers vs. Actual Participation
Launched in the Budget 2024-25, PMIS aims to provide one crore internships over five years. In the initial phase, 1.27 lakh internships were offered, followed by 1.15 lakh new and revised opportunities in the second round.
The top five contributors to the scheme were:
- Jubilant FoodWorks: 14,263 internships
- Maruti Suzuki: 12,444 internships
- ONGC: 6,020 internships
- Reliance Industries: 5,000 internships
- Eicher Motors: 4,260 internships
These five companies collectively accounted for over 41,000 internship slots.
However, actual participation has been much lower than anticipated. In the first phase, 82,000 internship offers were extended, but only 28,000 were accepted, and just 8,700 candidates have joined so far.
PM Internship Scheme : Key Reasons for Low Participation
Although the scheme provides a ₹5,000 monthly stipend (₹4,500 from the government and ₹500 from companies) and a one-time ₹6,000 grant, several factors have deterred participation:
- Location Constraints – Many internship positions are in remote areas or far from applicants’ hometowns, making relocation difficult.
- Long Duration – A 12-month internship period is considered too lengthy by many students and job seekers.
- Skill Mismatch – There is a gap between the skills required by companies and those possessed by interested candidates.
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Government Efforts and Future Challenges
To improve participation, the government has introduced several changes:
- Geotagging of internship locations to help candidates identify nearby opportunities.
- Detailed company profiles on the PM Internship portal for better transparency.
- Enhanced user experience on the online platform to simplify the application process.
Despite these measures, only 318 companies participated in the second phase, falling short of the 500-company target.
For FY 2025-26, the government has allocated a massive ₹10,831 crore for PMIS, aiming to provide 15 lakh internships. However, with current participation trends, achieving this goal remains a significant challenge.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance has urged the government to refine its strategy, improve accessibility, and ensure that the increased budget translates into real employment opportunities for young job seekers. Without stronger participation, this ambitious scheme risks falling short of its objectives.