Over 7,290 Candidates Left Without Completing Internships Under PMIS: Corp Affairs Ministry

The corporate affairs ministry on Monday said 7,292 candidates left without completing their internships under the Prime Minister Internship Scheme.

The scheme has been rolled out as a pilot project in two rounds.

The first round of the project started on October 3, 2024 wherein about 6.21 lakh applications were received from more than 1.81 lakh candidates. Partner companies made over 82,000 internship offers to over 60,000 candidates and 8,760 interns joined the internships.

In the second round that commenced from January 9, 2025, approximately 4.55 lakh applications were received from over 2.14 lakh candidates. Partner companies made 83,000 internship offers to over 71,000 candidates, and more than 7,300 interns joined the internships, the ministry informed the Lok Sabha.

Minister of State for Corporate Affairs Harsh Malhotra, in written replies, said the scheme is not designed to provide placement offers.

The scheme, he said, is designed to enhance industry-relevant skills, improve job readiness, and foster professional exposure through structured internships in India’s top-performing companies and institutions to create job- ready, skilled workforce.

"As on 09.03.2026, 7,292 candidates have left the internship without completing, in both the rounds of the PMIS pilot project," the minister said.

The 12-month completion dates of internship under the first round are from November 2025 to March 2026 and it is from April 2026 under the second round, depending on the date of joining of the interns.

"As on 09.03.2026, 3,605 interns from Round I have completed the internship," the minister said.

According to him, for financial year 2025-26, ₹10,831.07 crore has been allocated to the ministry for the scheme while the actual expenditure is estimated at ₹87.46 crore.

"However, the main scheme could not be commenced and the pilot project has been continued," the minister said.

The monthly financial assistance for PMIS interns has been increased from ₹5,000 to ₹9,000 with effect from March 2026, the minister said.