The Corporate Affairs Ministry has announced that aspiring interns who wish to avail the benefits of the recently launched Prime Minister Internship Scheme (PMIS) must have an Aadhaar number or undergo Aadhaar authentication. This requirement stems from the scheme’s reliance on Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) for disbursing the financial assistance. The PMIS, a one-year program designed to provide valuable experience in top Indian companies, offers a one-time assistance of ₹6,000 along with a monthly allowance of ₹5,000, with ₹4,500 coming from the government and ₹500 from Corporate CSR funds.
Those without an Aadhaar number will need to apply for Aadhaar enrollment to be eligible for the scheme’s benefits. The program also provides interns with insurance coverage under the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana. While an Aadhaar number is being assigned, individuals can avail the benefits upon producing an Aadhaar enrolment identification slip and any of the official documents such as PAN Card, Passport, ration card, voter identity card, public sector bank passbook with photograph, driving licence or certificate of disability.
The dedicated portal for the PMIS has seen a surge in internship opportunities, reaching nearly 50,000 as of Wednesday. This represents a threefold jump from the 16,000 opportunities listed just two days prior. The portal was launched on October 3 for companies to post their internship opportunities. Over 130 companies, including Jubilant Foodworks, Eicher Motor Ltd, Larsen & Toubro Ltd, Tech Mahindra, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd, Bajaj Finance, and Muthoot Finance, have already posted internship opportunities.
Internship opportunities are available across the country, spanning 650 districts in 36 states and union territories. These opportunities are distributed across 22 sectors, with the largest number available in the oil, gas, and energy sectors, followed closely by travel and hospitality. Other sectors with significant internship opportunities include automotives, banking and financial services, infrastructure and construction, manufacturing and industrial, aviation and defense, among others. Internships are available in over 20 fields, including operations management, production and manufacturing, maintenance, sales and marketing, and many more.
The Prime Minister Internship Scheme was launched on a pilot basis last Thursday. The government has allocated ₹800 crore for the pilot scheme, aiming to provide 1,25,000 internships to youth aged between 21 and 24 in FY25. The Corporate Affairs Ministry (MCA) is administering the PMIS, which was announced in this year’s budget as part of the government’s efforts to boost job creation and enhance the skills of young people. The internship opportunities under the PMIS will be provided by India’s top 500 companies, ranked by their average CSR spend over the last three financial years.
Corporations can submit available positions on the internship portal between October 3 and 12. Candidates can apply on the portal from October 12 to October 25. Shortlisting of candidates will be done using Artificial Intelligence (AI) on October 26. Companies will review and select candidates between October 27 and November 7. Candidates can then accept or reject the internship offers between November 8 and 15.
