Revamped PM Internship Scheme draws more youth, but fewer than half finish
Two years after its launch, the PM Internship Scheme is drawing more young people since its 2026 revamp. Yet fewer than half of those who join complete the internship, and many report doing work unrelated to the skills they hoped to learn.
Practice 2 MCQsMains
Why in news
The scheme was announced in the 2024-25 Budget, and its pilot began in October 2024. Weak joining and completion in the first rounds led the government to revise it in 2026.
Prelims pointers
- The Ministry of Corporate Affairs is the nodal ministry for the scheme.
- It aims to give 1 crore youth internships in India's top 500 companies over five years, with an outlay of ₹63,000 crore.
- The top 500 companies are chosen by their average CSR spending over the previous three years.
- The original design offered ₹5,000 a month: ₹4,500 from the Centre through DBT and ₹500 from company CSR funds. It also paid a one-time grant of ₹6,000.
- The revamp raised monthly assistance to ₹9,000, widened the age band from 21–24 to 18–25 years, and cut the duration to six to nine months.
Mains angle
Internships help only if they teach. Low completion, mismatched tasks and a stipend that loses to paid work show the gap between slots offered and skills gained.
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