Interns from across the country have started their career journey under the PM Internship Program, designed to boost the employability of young people. Senior officials of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs held a virtual meeting with the first cohort of trainees and their supervisors on Wednesday, highlighting the importance of practical training and mentoring in various sectors.

This milestone marks the launch of the program, which covers all 656 districts of India.

The program was initially presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her July 23 budget speech and officially launched on October 3. The internship lasts 12 months, with at least 50 percent of the program focused on practical work experience.

Interns will receive a monthly stipend of Rs 5,000 for the duration of the 12-month internship, in addition to a one-time grant of Rs 6,000, which will be provided through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to support them.
The program has attracted immense interest, receiving 6.21 lakh applications. Companies actively participate in the selection process and have already started training the selected candidates.

This initiative has been enthusiastically received by the Indian corporate sector, with participating companies committed to equipping interns with the skills and experience needed to contribute meaningfully to the job market.

LARGE COMPANIES WELCOME INTERNS

Interns from various locations have joined leading companies under the Prime Minister’s Internship Scheme (PMIS), including Emcure in Jammu, ONGC in Jorhat (Assam), MOIL Ltd in Balaghat (Madhya Pradesh), Vedanta in Jharsuguda (Odisha) and Mannapuram Finance in Raichur (Karnataka). Other participating companies include Muthoot Finance in Kanyakumari (Tamil Nadu), IOCL in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, DCM Shriram in Ajbapur (Uttar Pradesh), Alkem Labs in Daman and Diu, Maruti Suzuki and Bajaj Finance in Guntur (Andhra Pradesh) , Jubilant. Feeds in Greater Noida (Uttar Pradesh), NMDC in Dantewada (Chhattisgarh), Titan in Krishnagiri (Tamil Nadu), NTPC in Barauni (Bihar) and Raigarh (Chhattisgarh), and Avanti Feeds in Kakinada (Andhra Pradesh).

Karnakula Varalakshmi, a 23-year-old intern, started her internship as a processing worker at Avanti Feeds Limited in Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh. A married woman and mother of a two-year-old boy, Varalakshmi chose to take this opportunity not out of necessity, but to assert her ambition and individuality.

The internships aim to provide interns with practical experience and improve the employability of Indian youth.