PM Internship Scheme: Third Pilot Draws 40,000 Interns After Revamp, Full Rollout Considered for Next Year
About 40,000 candidates have joined internships in the third pilot round of the PM Internship Scheme (PMIS) so far. This is about 2.5 times the total number who joined in the first two rounds put together.
The first round (launched October 2024) saw about 8,760 joinings, and the second round (January 2025) about 7,300. Both saw many interns leave midway.
The third round followed a revamp in March 2026: the monthly stipend (allowance) was raised from ₹5,000 to ₹9,000, the age limit was widened from 21–24 years to 18–25 years, internships were shortened from 12 months to 6–9 months, and the pool of companies grew from 500 to about 2,000. MSMEs and some statutory bodies were also allowed to join.
Early data show the dropout rate falling to around 10%, compared with about one-third in the second round.
Encouraged by this, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs is considering launching the full scheme next year without another pilot round.
Prime Minister's Internship Scheme (PMIS)
The Prime Minister's Internship Scheme (PMIS) is a central government scheme that places young people in internships at India's large companies. An internship is a short period of on-the-job training: you work inside a real company, learn how things are done, and get a monthly allowance, but it is not a permanent job. The scheme's long-term aim is to give one crore (10 million) internships over five years. It is run by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), the ministry that looks after companies and company law.
The jump to about 40,000 interns in the third round shows that the March 2026 changes worked better than the original design. The higher stipend, shorter internships and larger pool of companies addressed the main reasons young people stayed away or dropped out. If the ministry skips another pilot, the full scheme could begin next year, moving towards the goal of one crore internships.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Under Companies Act 2013
Corporate Social Responsibility, or CSR, means a company spending part of its profits on activities that help society, such as education, health, clean water, the environment or rural development. In India, CSR is not just a good habit: for large companies, it is compulsory by law. Section 135 of the Companies Act, 2013 says that companies above a certain size must spend at least 2% of their average net profit of the last three years on CSR activities. India was one of the first countries in the world to make CSR spending compulsory by law.
The PM Internship Scheme leans on CSR. Companies were first picked based on their average CSR spending over three years, and their 10% share of each intern's stipend, plus training costs, comes from CSR funds. Widening the pool from 500 to about 2,000 companies brought in more firms with CSR budgets, which helped the third pilot draw far more interns.
- Third pilot round joinings: about 40,000 so far (about 2.5 times rounds 1 and 2 combined)
- Round 1 (October 2024): 8,760 joined; Round 2 (January 2025): about 7,300 joined
- Third round target: about 1.1 lakh internships; offers until December 2026, joining until January 2027
- March 2026 revamp: stipend ₹5,000 → ₹9,000 a month; age 21–24 → 18–25; duration 12 months → 6–9 months; companies 500 → about 2,000
- Stipend split after revamp: ₹8,100 (government, DBT) + ₹900 (company, CSR)
- Long-term target: 1 crore internships in 5 years; nodal ministry: Ministry of Corporate Affairs
- Dropout rate: about 33.7% in Round 2; about 10% in Round 3 (early data)
- CSR: Section 135 of the Companies Act, 2013; minimum 2% of average net profit of 3 years