Over 1.55 lakh candidates register for PM Internship Scheme

NEW DELHI: More than 1.55 lakh candidates have applied for the Prime Minister Internship Scheme, sources said on Sunday. The dedicated portal for the scheme went live for registration at 5 pm on October 12 and the target for the scheme's pilot project was to have 1.25 lakh candidates. The sources said the number of candidates registered on the portal stood at 1,55,109 on Sunday.

Those in the age group of 21-24 years are eligible to apply for the scheme, which is being implemented by the corporate affairs ministry through the portal 'www.pminternship.mca.gov.in'. The internships will begin on December 2. Under the scheme, an intern will get a monthly financial assistance of Rs 5,000 for 12 months and a one-time grant of Rs 6,000.

Internship duration

The ministry on Saturday said that in the past week, the portal added more than 80,000 opportunities across 24 sectors, including oil, gas and energy, travel and hospitality and automotive. "The portal ensures efficient access to internships across sectors with Aadhaar-based registration and tools like bio-data generation," the ministry had said. The initial cost of the scheme's pilot project is estimated at Rs 800 crore. The scheme, announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Union Budget 2024, aims to provide an opportunity to do an internship in the top 500 companies in India for 12 months.