Synopsis
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman launched a mobile app for the Prime Minister's Internship Scheme, aiming to enhance youth employability through practical training and industry exposure.Key Takeaways
- Launch of a mobile app for the PM Internship Scheme.
- Scheme aims to connect youth with industry expectations.
- Encouragement for industry participation to foster skill development.
- Interns will receive financial assistance to support their training.
- A referral program allows youth to recommend candidates.
New Delhi, March 17 (NationPress) The Union Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, on Monday introduced a specialized mobile application for the Prime Minister's Internship Scheme.
In her address, she praised the Prime Minister's initiative of launching a suite of five schemes aimed at boosting employment, skill development, and job opportunities. The minister highlighted that this scheme is designed to close the gap between academic knowledge and industry needs, thereby improving youth employability.
She encouraged the business sector to take an active role in this initiative, noting that their participation would aid in national development and nurture a skilled workforce.
The application features an intuitive layout, ensuring smooth navigation; simple registration via Aadhaar face recognition; a personalized dashboard; access to a dedicated support team; and real-time notifications to keep candidates informed of new updates.
Users can also delve into the referral program recently introduced by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA).
This referral initiative allows registered youth to recommend other eligible candidates for the scheme and earn rewards. Additionally, youth registered on the PM Internship portal (web browser) can join this referral program.
Launched as part of the Budget 2024-25, the Prime Minister’s Internship Scheme aims to offer internship placements to one crore youth in the top 500 companies over the next five years.
As a starting point, a Pilot Project has been initiated to provide 1.25 lakh internships for the financial year 2024-25.
This scheme offers young individuals a chance to receive training and acquire skills and experience in a real-world context (minimum of six months) with businesses or organizations, effectively bridging the gap between educational learning and industry requirements, thus enhancing their employability.
Each intern will receive a monthly stipend of Rs 5,000, along with a one-time financial support of Rs 6,000.
In the first round of the pilot project (October–December 2024), over 1.27 lakh opportunities were made available across approximately 745 districts, facilitated by around 280 companies spanning 25 sectors. More than 82,000 offers were extended to candidates.
The second round of the Pilot Project started in January 2025, with about 327 companies posting over 1.18 lakh opportunities (including both new and unfilled roles from the previous round) throughout the country.
The internship application window for round II remains open until March 31.
