Scheme Primer
Skill Development
ngo-practitioners
PM Internship Scheme — 12 Months Inside India's Top 500 Companies, Paid Rs. 5,000 a Month
Last verified: May 2026 · 7 min read · JaBaSu Knowledge Commons
At a Glance
| Parameter |
Detail |
| Full Name |
Prime Minister's Internship Scheme (PMIS) |
| Announced |
Union Budget 2024-25 (July 23, 2024) |
| Pilot launched |
October 3, 2024 |
| Nodal Ministry |
Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) |
| Status |
Active — pilot phase completed; Phase 2 ongoing as of May 2026 |
| Target |
1 crore internships in India's top 500 companies over 5 years |
| FY 2024-25 pilot |
1.25–1.27 lakh internship opportunities; 6.5 lakh applications received |
| Monthly stipend |
Rs. 5,000/month (Rs. 4,500 from Government via DBT + Rs. 500 from company CSR) |
| One-time grant |
Rs. 6,000 (in two tranches of Rs. 3,000) — within 15 days of joining and 3 months |
| Duration |
12 months |
| Age group |
21–24 years |
| Official portal |
pminternship.mca.gov.in |
Note on structure: The Rs. 4,500 government share is paid via DBT. The company's Rs. 500 contribution is mandated from their CSR funds. The Rs. 6,000 one-time incidental grant is released by the government in two tranches. Total annual financial support: approximately Rs. 66,000 per intern.
Who Is Eligible?
Core eligibility
- Indian citizen
- Age: 21 to 24 years as of the date of application (date of birth between specific ranges notified each cycle)
- Not in full-time employment
- Not enrolled in full-time education or full-time skill training
- Must come from a household that is not currently employed in the government or does not have a government employee
What Is It?
The Prime Minister's Internship Scheme is the most significant employment-skilling programme launched in Budget 2024-25 — a first-of-its-kind government-mandated corporate internship programme that places young people aged 21-24 in 12-month paid internships inside India's top 500 companies. It is explicitly positioned as a bridge between education (or lack of it) and real-world employment — addressing the chronic problem that Indian employers will not hire fresh graduates because they lack practical workplace experience, and fresh graduates cannot get workplace experience because employers won't hire them.
The scheme targets the specific cohort that is most at risk of permanent employment exclusion: 21-24-year-olds from low-income households who have some education but are not in full-time employment and not pursuing full-time education. This cohort — between school and work, between aspiration and opportunity — is precisely where structural unemployment in India concentrates.
Why CSR-funded: Companies participating in PMIS are required to finance 10% of the total internship cost through their CSR funds. This creates institutional alignment — companies have a financial stake in internship quality because it draws on their CSR budgets. The MCA has issued guidelines (O.M. No. CSR-131351/2024 dated 01/09/2025) specifying how companies should report their PMIS CSR expenditure.
What PMIS Provides — The Complete Package
Monthly stipend: Rs. 5,000/month for 12 months — paid partly via DBT (government's Rs. 4,500) and partly by the company (Rs. 500 from CSR). Total from stipend over the year: Rs. 60,000.
One-time incidental grant: Rs. 6,000 released in two tranches of Rs. 3,000 — the first within 15 days of joining, the second within 15 days of completing 3 months. Covers relocation, commuting, and initial setup costs.
Insurance: All interns are automatically enrolled in PMJJBY (life insurance) and PMSBY (accident insurance) — the Jan Suraksha schemes providing Rs. 2 lakh life cover and Rs. 2 lakh accident cover respectively. The government pays the annual premium.
12 months of industry experience: The core value proposition is not the money — it is 12 months inside a real company doing real work. At least 50% of the internship must involve hands-on work rather than classroom sessions.
No fees: Zero registration fee for applicants. The scheme is entirely government-funded from the intern's side.
How It Works — the Application and Selection Process
Step 1 — Company uploads opportunities: Participating companies (from India's top 500 by CSR spending) upload internship positions on pminternship.mca.gov.in specifying: role, location, sector, duration, and minimum qualifications.
Step 2 — Youth apply online: Eligible youth register at pminternship.mca.gov.in using Aadhaar and mobile number, create a profile, and apply to listed opportunities. The application is voluntary — youth choose which companies and roles to apply to.
Step 3 — Company shortlists: Companies review applications and shortlist candidates. The portal facilitates matching based on profile, location, and role requirements.
Step 4 — Selection and offer: Selected candidates receive an offer through the portal. They must accept within a specified window.
Step 5 — Joining and stipend: Intern joins the company. Government's Rs. 4,500/month is disbursed via DBT to the intern's Aadhaar-linked bank account. Company's Rs. 500 is paid directly by the company. First tranche of Rs. 3,000 incidental grant arrives within 15 days.
Step 6 — Completion: After 12 months, the intern receives a completion certificate. This certificate, combined with work experience, makes them significantly more competitive for employment.
Participating Companies and Sectors
The scheme operates through India's top 500 companies by CSR spending. In the pilot phase, 280 companies offered 1.27 lakh opportunities across 25 sectors including:
- Oil and gas: IOCL, ONGC, BPCL
- Automotive: Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors
- Metals and mining: Vedanta, Tata Steel, Hindalco — highly relevant for Odisha
- Power: NTPC, Tata Power
- IT: TCS, Infosys, Wipro
- Retail and consumer: Titan, Trent
Odisha relevance: Vedanta (Lanjigarh, Kalahandi), Hindalco (Hirakud, Sambalpur), NALCO (Angul), IOCL (Bhubaneswar), Tata Steel (Kalinganagar, Jajpur) — these are all Odisha-based companies in the PMIS network. An internship with Vedanta or NALCO for a tribal youth from Rayagada or Angul district is genuinely transformative and geographically accessible.
What NGOs Need to Know — the Practical Reality
1
The 21-24 age window is narrow — NGOs must act proactively. A youth who turns 25 before applying is ineligible. NGOs working with youth aged 20-23 should specifically identify PMIS-eligible candidates and facilitate registration before the age window closes.
2
The IIT/IIM exclusion is intentional — tribal youth from ITIs qualify. The explicit exclusion of premier institution graduates and explicit inclusion of ITI, diploma, and skill centre graduates is the scheme's most important equity feature. A tribal youth from Koraput who completed an ITI plumbing course and has been unable to find work is exactly the target. NGOs should communicate this specifically to tribal youth communities who may assume "the government scheme is not for people like us."
3
The portal requires a functional smartphone and internet — this is a barrier. The entire PMIS application process is online. In tribal and rural communities, the digital access barrier is the primary reason eligible youth don't apply. NGOs can run PMIS registration camps — similar to scholarship application camps — bringing CSC operators to communities or using NGO office computers to facilitate bulk registration.
4
Odisha mining and metals companies are natural partners. Vedanta Lanjigarh (Kalahandi), Hindalco (Sambalpur), NALCO (Angul), and similar Odisha-based PSUs and corporates are both within PMIS and within the CSR-relationship network of most Odisha civil society organisations. NGOs can directly approach their CSR counterparts at these companies to understand which PMIS roles are available and ensure tribal youth from their communities are aware of and applying for these opportunities.
5
Post-internship employment is not guaranteed but significantly more likely. The scheme explicitly does not guarantee employment after the 12 months. However, a year inside a major Indian company creates relationships, references, and demonstrated competence that dramatically improves employment prospects. NGOs should counsel communities about realistic expectations — this is an opportunity accelerator, not a guaranteed job.
How JaBaSu Helps NGOs Connect Their Communities
Portal registration facilitation
JaBaSu organises PMIS registration drives in partner NGO communities — bringing smartphones, internet access, and portal navigation support to enable bulk youth registration and application within the eligibility window.
Odisha company outreach
JaBaSu's CSR network in Odisha includes direct relationships with the CSR departments of major companies operating in the state. JaBaSu can facilitate community-specific PMIS opportunity matching — connecting tribal youth in Rayagada with Vedanta Lanjigarh opportunities, or youth in Angul with NALCO internships.
PMIS + PMJJBY/PMSBY bundling
JaBaSu ensures that every PMIS-enrolled intern from partner communities also completes PMJDY bank account activation, PMJJBY and PMSBY auto-enrolment (the insurance is mandatory but must be confirmed), and DBT linking — so the Rs. 4,500 monthly DBT transfer and Rs. 3,000 incidental grant arrive without delay.
Post-internship employment support
JaBaSu's enterprise and employment network helps PMIS completers access follow-on employment opportunities — specifically within the company they interned with or within the same sector.