Low Participation Rates in Prime Minister Internship Scheme Highlight Challenges

The Prime Minister Internship Scheme, aimed at providing opportunities to one crore youth, has seen only 30% of candidates actually joining their roles. With high dropout rates and various challenges cited by interns, the government is taking steps to improve participation. This article delves into the statistics and feedback surrounding the scheme, highlighting the need for adjustments to enhance its effectiveness.

By Narendra Chaudhary Dec 2, 2025, 15:41 IST

Overview of Internship Scheme Participation

According to the Union government, only about 30% of candidates who accepted internship positions under the Prime Minister Internship Scheme have actually taken up their roles since its inception in October 2024.

This initiative, introduced in the Union Budget for 2024-25, aims to offer internship opportunities to one crore young individuals over a span of five years.

In a written response to the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Corporate Affairs Harsh Malhotra revealed that merely 16,060 out of 52,600 candidates who accepted offers during the initial two rounds have joined the private and public sector organizations.

Furthermore, Malhotra noted that 6,618 interns, which accounts for nearly 41% of those who began their internships, left before completing the full 12-month term. This includes 4,565 from the first round and 2,053 from the second.

Government data indicates that only 95 interns from both rounds have secured full-time employment offers from their respective host companies.

Malhotra's comments were in response to inquiries from All India Trinamool Congress MPs Sayani Ghosh and June Maliah in the Lok Sabha.

Feedback from the interns highlighted several factors contributing to the low participation and high dropout rates, including lengthy travel distances, the one-year internship commitment, and a lack of interest in the assigned tasks. In response, the government has implemented geo-tagged internship locations and provided more detailed job descriptions in the second round, as reported by a financial news outlet.

As of September 30, the ministry has utilized only Rs 73.72 crore of the allocated Rs 10,831 crore for the 2025-26 fiscal year under this scheme.

Most applications originated from Andhra Pradesh, followed by Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Uttar Pradesh had the highest number of candidates who joined, with Assam and Madhya Pradesh following closely.

This scheme was launched as part of the Union Budget for 2024-25 to create internship opportunities for one crore youth across 500 leading companies over five years.

The pilot phase of the initiative was officially launched by the Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs on October 3, 2024.