Key Points

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that over 1.53 lakh internship offers have been made under the PM Internship Scheme. The initiative saw massive response with 6.21 lakh applications in the first round alone. Top companies across India are participating in this government-led skilling program. The scheme aims to provide opportunities to one crore youth over five years.

Key Points: Sitharaman Reveals 1.53 Lakh PM Internship Offers to Youth

  • Over 1.27 lakh internship opportunities posted in first round
  • 6.21 lakh applications received from 1.81 lakh candidates
  • 71,000 offers made in second round till July 2025
  • Scheme targets 1 crore youth in top 500 companies
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Over 1.53 lakh offers made by big firms to youth under PM Internship Scheme: FM Sitharaman

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman shares PM Internship Scheme success with 1.53 lakh offers made by top firms to Indian youth.

Over 1.53 lakh offers made by big firms to youth under PM Internship Scheme: FM Sitharaman
"Currently, rolling out of offers and the process of acceptances/joining by interns is in progress - Nirmala Sitharaman"

New Delhi, July 21

Over 1.53 lakh offers have been made by the top companies in the country to youth during the first two rounds of the Prime Minister Internship Scheme (PMIS) that was launched in October 2024, Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs, Nirmala Sitharaman, informed the Lok Sabha on Monday.

The minister said in a written reply that in round one of the PM Internship Scheme Pilot Project, the partner companies posted more than 1.27 lakh internship opportunities on the PMIS Portal across the country.

Against this, more than 6.21 lakh applications were received from about 1.81 lakh candidates. Partner companies made over 82,000 internship offers to over 60,000 candidates, out of which more than 28,000 candidates accepted offers to join the internship, and over 8,700 candidates joined their internship.

She further stated that in round two of the PM Internship Scheme Pilot Project, which commenced on January 9, 2025, about 327 partner companies have posted over 1.18 lakh internship opportunities (new and edited unfilled opportunities of previous round) across 735 districts of the country.

Over 4.55 lakh applications were received from over 2.14 lakh applicants, in this round. As on July 17, 2025, partner companies have made over 71,000 offers to youth and over 22,500 offers have been accepted.

"Currently, rolling out of offers and the process of acceptances/ joining by interns is in progress," Sitharaman added.

The PM internship scheme was announced in the Union Budget 2024-25. It aims to provide internship opportunities to one crore youth in top 500 companies in five years.

As an initiation to this scheme, Ministry of Corporate Affairs launched a Pilot Project of the scheme on October 3, 2024, which is targeted to provide 1.25 lakh internship opportunities to the youth in one year.

Youth between the age group of 21-24 years, who have passed High School, Higher Secondary School, possess a certificate from an ITI, hold a diploma from a Polytechnic Institute, or are graduates with degrees such as BA, B.Sc, B.Com, BCA, BBA, B. Pharma, etc. and are not employed full-time and not engaged in full-time education are eligible to apply.

The Ministry of Corporate Affairs is actively working with various stakeholders such as state governments, industry associations, educational institutions etc. for promotion and implementation of the scheme, Sitharaman said.

The ministry is also carrying out information, education and communication activities to reach out to the target groups across the country, she added.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priyanka N
The numbers look impressive but I'm concerned about the conversion rate. Only 28,000 accepted out of 82,000 offers? Are companies offering decent stipends? Many graduates can't afford unpaid internships in metro cities where living costs are high.
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Aryan P
Applied in both rounds but no luck yet 😔 Competition is tough with lakhs of applicants. Hope they expand this to more companies beyond just the top 500. Tier 2/3 cities need more opportunities too!
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Sarah B
As someone working in HR, I appreciate how this scheme is creating structured pathways between education and employment. The 735 district coverage shows good geographic inclusion. Wondering if there's tracking of how many interns get full-time offers later?
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Vikram M
Good scheme but implementation needs work. Many eligible candidates in rural areas don't know about this. Government should run awareness campaigns in regional languages through local colleges and employment exchanges.
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Divya L
The age limit of 21-24 is too restrictive! Many people complete education later or take gap years. Why not extend to 28 years? Also need more technical internships for engineering students. Overall a step in right direction though 👍

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