To ensure higher participation for the PM internship scheme (PMIS), finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman will launch a dedicated PMIS app on Monday. The app, according to sources, will give a push to the scheme which is seeking registration under the second round from the candidates till March 31. “The registration on the portal requires access to computer which could be a constraint for many applicants. The cellphones, which are wider reach and user friendly,” said the source.
In addition, the FM will launch the first facilitation centre for the scheme in Kolkata. This centre has been set up through a collaboration between the ministry of corporate affairs (MCA) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). CII operates 47 model career centres which will have dedicated PMIS cells that would help mobilise the potential candidates and provide them with guidance. “The MCA has also asked us to set up standalone PMIS cells where the ministry will provide us with the space and we will mobilise the youth,” said the source.
Last month, MCA conducted a PMIS event at Kolkata in partnership with CII. “During our interactions with interns, many of them told us to increase our social outreach which is why the ministry has planned over 70 IEC (information, education and communication) events across the country,” the source said.
Announced in the Budget 2024-25, the first round of the scheme witnessed 28,141 candidates accepting the internship offers. In order to meet the target of providing 1.25 lakh internships in FY25, the MCA rolled out the second round of the scheme in January inviting fresh applications from candidates for more than 100,000 internship opportunities in over 300 companies.
PMIS has a target to provide internships to 10 million people in top 500 companies (based on corporate social responsibility spends) over five years. The internship will be a combination of relevant training and professional experience (of at least six months) to ensure that candidates learn and can also apply their skills in real-world settings.