pminternshipscheme com

September 3, 2025

The PM Internship Scheme is quietly becoming one of India’s biggest career accelerators for young talent—if you know how to navigate it.

What’s the PM Internship Scheme, really?

It’s not just another government job portal. The Prime Minister Internship Scheme (PMIS) is designed to put real, paid internships at India’s top companies within reach of young, unemployed citizens between 21 and 24 years old. We're talking about big players—TCS, Maruti Suzuki, L&T, Reliance, and more.

Launched in October 2024, the scheme is run by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs and targets 10 million internships over five years. It's built for students who've finished their education or are doing distance learning, and are now looking to get hands-on experience in sectors like IT, manufacturing, finance, energy, telecom, FMCG, healthcare, and others.

Who can apply—and who can’t

Eligibility is strict. You're in if:

You're Indian, aged 21–24.
You’ve finished at least Class 10 and have an ITI, Polytechnic, or UG degree.
You’re not employed or enrolled in a full-time academic program.
Your family income is less than ₹8 lakh/year.
No one in your immediate family works for the government.

But if you’ve gone to IIT, IIM, AIIMS, NID, or NLU, or if you already hold a postgrad or professional degree like MBA, CA, MBBS, you're out. Same goes if you're already in another scheme like NATS or NAPS.

The focus is on people who miss out on elite campuses or formal networks—but still want in on serious industry exposure.

What do you actually get?

You get placed in a 12-month internship with ₹5,000 per month in your account—₹4,500 from the government and ₹500 from the company’s CSR fund. That’s ₹60,000 a year, which isn't mind-blowing but way better than unpaid internships floating around.

There’s also a one-time ₹6,000 grant at the start of your internship, kind of like a sign-up bonus to help you settle in.

And here’s a smart addition: you’re automatically enrolled in life and accidental insurance under PMJJBY and PMSBY, with the government paying the premiums. So even if the money is modest, the protection is real.

Is it just internships in name?

This is where the scheme hit a speed bump.

In Phase 1, around 127,000 positions were posted. But only 8,700 interns actually joined. That’s less than 7% conversion. The issue? Many internships were posted with vague job descriptions, minimal communication, or unrealistic expectations.

Some companies treated it like a checkbox CSR activity. Others didn’t explain roles clearly, and students got cold feet. The Times of India reported that a lot of youth simply didn’t understand how the scheme worked—or didn’t trust it enough to relocate for ₹5,000/month.

So while the structure exists, execution still needs work.

What’s changed in 2025?

After the lukewarm first round, the Ministry revamped the system.

The portal got an upgrade. Now it uses AI-based matching to recommend internships that fit your skills.
You can apply for up to 5 positions at a time, making it less of a gamble.
Companies are now required to provide clearer job descriptions and better onboarding.
The scheme expanded to 735 districts, with 118,000 internships in Phase 2, across 327 companies.

They also launched a mobile app. It’s not perfect, but it gives alerts and tracks your application status in real time.

Real talk: Is it worth it?

It depends on where you’re coming from. If you're from a Tier 2 or Tier 3 city, don’t have connections, and haven’t had access to elite internships, this could be your gateway to real-world experience.

You may not end up at a unicorn startup, but you could get trained at a company like BHEL or HDFC—which builds your resume and gives you leverage for future jobs.

Plus, the internship certificate, though government-issued, holds weight with recruiters, especially in mid-sized firms looking for trained, low-risk hires.

How to apply (without screwing it up)

Go to pminternship.mca.gov.in. Not pminternshipscheme.com—that's a content site, not the official application portal.

Here’s what to do:

Register using your Aadhaar number.
Complete eKYC using OTP.
Upload your details—education, income proof, and work preference.
Select up to five internships based on location, industry, and role.
Wait for confirmation, then join if selected.

Don’t leave the form half-filled. Incomplete applications don’t get shortlisted.

Why this scheme matters

This is the government experimenting with demand-driven skilling, not just another classroom-based certificate course. India adds over 12 million people to the workforce every year, but only a fraction get formal internships.

According to CMIE, India's youth unemployment rate hit 17.3% in late 2024. Most of that comes from educated youth with no job experience. PMIS is an attempt to interrupt that cycle.

It’s not perfect. But it’s one of the only scalable models that tries to connect unplaced youth with actual corporate workflows.

FAQ

Is this internship considered a job?
No. It’s a learning stint, not employment. But it adds weight to your resume and helps with job interviews.

Can you apply again if you’ve already done one internship?
No. It’s one-time only.

Is ₹5,000 enough to survive in cities like Bangalore or Mumbai?
Probably not without family support. But you can select internships near your hometown to avoid relocation.

Do companies offer PPOs (pre-placement offers)?
Some do. Especially if you perform well. But it’s not guaranteed.

What if I drop out mid-internship?
You lose your stipend, certificate, and the chance to reapply.

Can this scheme be used for MBA internships?
Not if you’re enrolled in a regular MBA. Distance learning MBAs may qualify.

Is there a helpline or support team?
The MCA portal has a chatbot, and district nodal officers are being trained to assist. But it’s still early days on ground-level support.

Bottom line: The PM Internship Scheme isn’t perfect. But for India’s under-networked youth, it’s a rare opportunity to get a foot in the door—without needing a relative in HR.