Technical, policy, and process-related queries for the PM Internship Scheme were addressed by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs as 700 attendees participated in the third ‘Candidate Open House for the PM Internship Scheme’ it organised on Thursday, with the deadline for applying in the second round of the scheme nearing on March 31. Officials guided candidates on how to utilise the portal’s features to select opportunities that align with their educational background, while also exploring new areas and diverse locations. The weekly open house session, the third in the series, was attended by 684 participants, including officials from the ministry, three panelists who are currently interning under the scheme, and Don Lewis, who leads skill development and education at Mahindra & Mahindra’s farm division. The second round of the scheme, currently in its pilot stage, began in January, with around 1.18 lakh internship opportunities up for grabs, spread across 735 districts. “More than 1,765 questions submitted through an online link were addressed live by members of the PMIS team. The queries mainly revolved around selection criteria, eligibility requirements, and sector-specific opportunities within the scheme. Questions raised through the chat box were also answered promptly during the session,” a press release by the ministry on Friday said. The weekly session, held to “serve as a vital touchpoint for aspirants navigating the application process”, also included three current interns under the scheme. “Their stories highlighted the power of opportunity, proving that language, location, and background are no barriers to pursuing one's dreams,” the release said. For instance, Ankit Kumar, who only spoke Haryanvi, took up an internship as a painter with Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd in Maharashtra’s Nashik. “He openly discussed the challenges he faced initially, particularly as he only spoke Haryanvi, but appreciated the support he received from his mentors and supervisors, who made him feel welcome. (He) also highlighted the valuable experiences he gained during the internship, from hands-on learning on the shop floor and in-depth familiarisation with cars he had previously only heard about," according to the release. Another intern, Shweta Joshi, who relocated from Madhya Pradesh is currently interning with Tech Mahindra as an associate software intern, the release said, adding that she is learning new tools including SQL, AWS CloudWatch, and analytics. The prospective candidates also raised other queries like a request to relax the age limit from 24 to 25 years, enquired about employment prospects after the internship, and highlighted few openings in the information technology sector, The Indian Express reported on Thursday. Lewis, who was the industry expert on the panel, highlighted how an internship in a top company can significantly enhance the employment prospects of a candidate. “He also advised the candidates to be proactive during the selection process and encouraged them to keep visiting the portal for regular updates,” the release said. During the session, an attendee asked whether the current cap of three applications per candidate is permanent or subject to change. In response, an official associated with the implementation of the scheme said, “For this round of the pilot phase of the scheme, you can apply for 3 internship opportunities. For subsequent rounds, the appropriate information will be conveyed to you in due course.” Attendees from remote regions also participated in the session, and requested to create more awareness on the scheme. “The people of Gurez and Tangdar (Jammu & Kashmir) are completely unaware of the Prime Minister's Internship Scheme. Despite its potential benefits, there is little to no awareness about this opportunity in these regions,” an attendee said. The PM Internship Scheme was announced as part of the Prime Minister’s Package for Employment and Skilling announced in the Budget for 2024-25. Under the scheme, an amount of Rs 4,500 will be provided per month by the Government of India to selected candidates through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), with an additional Rs 500 offset to be provided by the company’s CSR (corporate social responsibility) funds. The government also provides a one-time grant of Rs 6,000 per annum for incidentals to cover miscellaneous expenses incurred by selected candidates during their internship. In the first round of the scheme that started in October last year, over 1.27 lakh internship opportunities were provided by companies in 745 districts across the country, as per official data shared with the Parliament’s Standing Committee on Finance. Around 6.21 lakh applications were received from more than 1.8 lakh candidates. Over 82,000 internship offers were made to around 60,000 candidates. Out of this, over 28,000 candidates accepted offers to join the internship but only around 8,700 candidates ended up joining. The top five companies that have offered internship opportunities under the first pilot round of the scheme are: Jubilant Foodworks Limited (14,263 internship opportunities), Maruti Suzuki India Limited (12,444), ONGC Limited (6,020), Reliance Industries Limited (5,000), and Eicher Motors Limited (4,260). As per the region-wise breakup of the 8,725 interns in the first round, Uttar Pradesh led with 1,234 interns, followed by 994 interns in Assam, 715 in Bihar, 693 in Madhya Pradesh and 467 in Odisha.
