From Financialexpress · The Financial Express · · 1m 10s
Fix the internship: Why PM internship scheme needs structural reforms
PMIS must prioritize completed courses and jobs over headline opportunity numbers to fix internship scheme.
In brief
PMIS must prioritize completed courses and jobs over headline opportunity numbers to fix internship scheme. The Prime Minister's Internship Scheme needs structural reforms to ensure internships lead to employment, not just high numbers of opportunities. Originally reported by Financialexpress.
PMIS at Two Years
The Prime Minister Internship Scheme approaches its second anniversary with high dropout rates and low uptake.
First Two Rounds Disappointing
Round 1 saw 60,866 offers produce only 8,760 joiners, with 4,698 dropping out.
Round 3 Shows Improvement
Round 3 generated 14,620 joiners against 25,794 offers, though completion rates are unknown.
Low Conversion Rates
Only 39% of opportunities translated into offers, and just 20% of those offers led to actual internships.
Government Responses
The government raised financial assistance to `9,000, widened the age band to 18-25, and included final-year students.
Why Internships Fail
Relocation costs, low pay, and mismatched work skills lead candidates to drop out after joining.
Fiscal Underperformance
Actual spending on PMIS was 1.5% of FY25 estimate and 0.9% of FY26 estimate, far below targets.
The big picture
The Prime Minister's Internship Scheme needs structural reforms to ensure internships lead to employment, not just high numbers of opportunities.
