PM Internship Scheme eases rules for firms & individuals

New Delhi: The government is expanding the list of participating companies under the PM Internship scheme to include new-age sectors such as semiconductors, renewable energy and global capability centres, people aware of the development said.

These companies will be allowed to join the scheme even if they do not have corporate social responsibility (CSR) obligations, a key criterion earlier for participation, they said.

The corporate affairs ministry has also revamped the scheme by relaxing eligibility criteria for candidates and increasing the stipend to boost participation.


Read more: Parliamentary Panel seeks higher stipend, age relaxation under PM Internship Scheme

Work for the third phase of the programme has started, targeting internships for about 100,000 aspirants, the people said. More than 15,500 internship offers covering 19 sectors and 32 states are up for the grabs so far in the third phase.

In the first phase, launched in October 2024, 280 of the 500 selected companies-based on their CSR spending-had made offers. These included Reliance Industries, Tata Consultancy Services, HDFC Bank, Maruti Suzuki, Larsen & Toubro and Mahindra & Mahindra.

The number of participating companies has since increased to 549 as more companies joined in the second phase, exceeding the initial target of 500 and covering all major CSR spenders.

Lower-than-expected participation and high drop-out rates have led to a sharp cut in allocation for the current fiscal to ₹526 crore in the revised estimate, from ₹10,831 crore budgeted earlier.

The scheme will also allow candidates with postgraduate and MBA degrees, the people said.

Companies will also be able to post opportunities on the internship portal overseen by the corporate affairs ministry throughout the year, instead of doing it in phases. "The idea is to have a rolling list of offers throughout the year for greater convenience of both companies and candidates," said one of the people.

Also Read | Trump is finally eyeing an exit from Iran. But will he take it?

The monthly stipend is raised to ₹9,000 from ₹5,000. The minimum age for eligibility is reduced to 18 years from 21 and the maximum age raised to 25 years from 24.

The internship duration is revised to six and nine months, instead of one year, in line with requests from services sector companies, the people said.