PMIS to Get a Second Chance with New Pilot Phase Launch

August 1-Kolkata, India: According to some latest information, the Central government is planning to launch a pilot phase for the Prime Minister Internship Scheme (PMIS) in the upcoming weeks, after some high dropout rates in the previous phases.

With a trial objective of 1.25 lakh internships in the fiscal year 2024–2025, the project aims to close the gap between education and employment and plans to offer 1 crore internship opportunities over five years.

Before launching the program on a larger scale later this fiscal year, the government has made some modifications due to low acceptance rates and candidate rejections.

PMIS’s role in this internship

The government unveiled the PMIS (Prime Minister Internship Scheme) during the 2024-25 Union Budget year, aiming to provide 12-month internship opportunities to young minds aged 21-24 years and to offer them practical hands-on experience from the top 50 companies in India. The program targets candidates with high school diplomas, ITI certificates, polytechnic diplomas, or degrees like BA, B.Sc., B.Com., BCA, BBA, or B. Pharma.

To guarantee equality for the under-represented groups, the committee rejects candidates with professional credentials like CA or MBBS, as well as those from prestigious universities like IITs and IIMs, for this proposal.

In addition to a one-time payment of ₹6,000 and insurance coverage under the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, the government provides ₹4,500 and the company’s CSR funds contribute ₹500 to give interns a monthly stipend of ₹5,000.

High Number of Dropout Rates in Pilot Phrase

According to the official data, the pilot trainees initially confronted the most difficult challenges. Only 8,700 of the 28,000 candidates who joined during the first phase of the internship scheme accepted the job offers. During the second round, corporations placed 72,000 bids by July 23, 2025, and only 22,800 of those offers received acceptance. Analysts expect the total to be between 28,000 and 29,000.

The surprising fact is that only 6% of people accepted the job offers and started their internships, considering that employers listed 1.27 lakh openings and candidates submitted over 6 lakh applications in the first round. Many experts believe that peer and family pressure, along with the location problems that candidates face every day, cause the high dropout rates.

MCA On the Issue

To address these issues, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has entered into a partnership with the state governments to raise awareness with the help of career counselling and workshops. The MCA also said that “We are working with states to hold awareness camps with company executives to encourage participation,” a ministry official said. The government is also exploring solutions to provide accommodation support to interns, a key barrier cited by candidates. The upcoming pilot phase will test these measures to improve acceptance and retention rates.”

With a budget of ₹800 crore, the pilot phase serves as a forerunner to the scheme’s wider deployment, which intends to give young people skills relevant to the industry.

The MCA announced that the new pilot would start in a month, although it has not given a precise start date. We recommend that candidates keep an eye on the PMIS portal for information on opportunities and registration revisions.

The government remains hopeful that the program will improve employability, as more than 500 businesses from industries like manufacturing, banking, and automobiles are already participating.