Over 13 lakh apply, only 3,730 complete PM Internship Scheme: Centre to Rajya Sabha

The government said the pilot scheme has generated over 3.68 lakh internship opportunities and 13.38 lakh applications across three rounds. It also revised the scheme after feedback flagged long internship duration, travel distance and role preferences as key challenges.Responding to a question in the Upper House, Minister of State for Corporate Affairs Harsh Malhotra said the pilot has so far covered three rounds of implementation.Only 3,730 internships under the Prime Minister Internship Scheme (PMIS) have been completed in the first round of the pilot programme despite more than 82,000 internship offers being issued, the government informed the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.It also said feedback from candidates and industry led to significant changes in the scheme, including shorter internship durations, a higher monthly allowance and relaxed eligibility norms.Responding to a question in the Upper House, Minister of State for Corporate Affairs Harsh Malhotra said the pilot has so far covered three rounds of implementation. Across these rounds, more than 3.68 lakh internship opportunities were posted, attracting nearly 13.38 lakh applications and resulting in over 1.86 lakh internship offers.ROUND-WISE DATAAccording to the data shared in Parliament, Round I saw 1,27,508 internship opportunities, 6,21,962 applications and 82,077 offers, of which 3,730 internships had been completed, as of July 15, 2026. In Round II, the scheme recorded 1,18,948 internship opportunities, 4,55,267 applications and 83,696 offers. A total of 2,689 internships had been completed by July 15, although the government noted that the round is still ongoing.Round III, which began on March 20 this year, has so far generated 1,22,148 internship opportunities and 2,60,747 applications. The government said 20,532 offers had been made and 10,195 interns had joined, while no internships have yet been completed as the round remains underway.RoundInternship OpportunitiesApplicationsOffers MadeInternships Completed/JoinedStatusRound I1,27,5086,21,96282,0773,730 completedCompletedRound II1,18,9484,55,26783,6962,689 completedOngoingRound III1,22,1482,60,74720,53210,195 joined (0 completed)OngoingTotal3,68,60413,37,9761,86,3056,419 completed + 10,195 joined— While the first three rounds are at different stages of implementation, the data indicate that only a small proportion of internship offers have so far translated into completed internships. As of July 15, 3,730 of the 82,077 offers made in Round I had resulted in completed internships (4.5 per cent), while 2,689 of the 83,696 offers in Round II had been completed (3.2 per cent), with the government noting that the latter round is still in progress.FACTORS BEHIND LOWER ACCEPTANCEThe ministry said an independent evaluation and feedback from candidates, industry, industry associations and state governments identified several factors behind lower acceptance of internship offers and dropout rates during the first two rounds.These included the original 12-month internship duration, candidates' preference for internship locations within 5-10 km of their homes, and a lack of interest among some applicants in the roles being offered.Based on these findings, revised guidelines were issued on March 12, 2026. The changes allow companies to offer internships of six or nine months instead of the earlier 12 months, increase the monthly allowance from Rs 5,000 to Rs 9,000, relax age and eligibility criteria, and expand the categories of companies and organisations that can participate in the scheme.The government also clarified that the PM Internship Scheme is intended to enhance industry-relevant skills, improve job readiness and provide professional exposure, and is not designed to provide employment. Consequently, it does not maintain data on how many interns secure jobs after completing the programme.STATE AND COMPANY-WISE DATAThe Rajya Sabha reply also included state-wise and company-wise details of internship opportunities and participation under the first three rounds of the pilot scheme, which is currently in its third phase.The state-wise data shared in the Rajya Sabha showed that Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh accounted for the highest number of internship opportunities under the first three rounds of the pilot. Company-wise data indicated that several of India's largest corporates – including Reliance Industries Ltd, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), HDFC Bank, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd and Infosys Ltd – were among the major providers of internship opportunities under the scheme.- EndsPublished By: Mridusmita DekaPublished On: Jul 28, 2026 18:21 IST