PM Internship Flop Show: Only 16,000 Candidates Show Up, 41% Quit Midway

New Delhi: More than a year after its debut, the Narendra Modi government’s flagship Prime Minister Internship Scheme (PMIS), aimed at training one crore young people over the next five years, is witnessing a combination of low acceptance rates and significant dropout, according to data tabled in the Lok Sabha by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs on Monday (December 1).

While internship was offered to over 60,000 candidates in the first round and 71,000 in the second, only over 16,000 joined – 8700 in the first round and 7300 in the second round. The dropout rate is equally troubling: 6,618 candidates – roughly 41 % of those who began – left before finishing the 12‑month placement as on November 26. Of those who quit, 4,565 were from the first round and 2,053 from the second. So far, just 95 interns have received offer letters from their employers, Union minister of state for Corporate Affairs Harsh Malhotra shared the data in written replies to questions from Trinamool Congress MPs Sayani Ghosh and June Maliah.

Despite a hefty allocation of Rs 10,831 crore for FY 2025‑26, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs has spent only Rs 73.72 crore as of September 30, 2025. The ministry attributes the low uptake and high attrition to three main factors: reluctance to travel more than five–ten km, the year‑long tenure being longer than typical skill‑training programmes and a lack of interest in the roles on offer.

The scheme was launched last October in two phases. In the inaugural phase, over 1.27 lakh internship opportunities were posted and around 6.21 lakh applications were received from over 1.81 lakh candidates; 82,000 internship offers were extended to over 60,000 candidates and 8700 offers were accepted. The second phase began in January 2025, over 1.18 lakh internship opportunities (new and edited unfilled opportunities of previous round) were posted and approximately 4.55 lakh applications were received from over 2.14 lakh candidates; partner companies made 83,000 offers to over 71,000 applicants and 24,600 offers were accepted.

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"Under the PMIS Pilot Project, the company is expected to provide the person an actual working experience on a skill in which the company is directly involved. It provides an opportunity to the youth to get training and gain experience and skills within the real-life environment of various businesses or organisations with the objective of enhancing their employability by bridging the gap between academic learning and industry requirements," Malhotra stated in the written response.

Further, he mentioned, "MCA is actively collaborating with state governments to carry out extensive information, education and communication activities, including workshops, seminars, and promotional campaigns – both online and on-ground to amplify program visibility and to reach out to the target groups in the states," adding that "the full-scale roll-out of the PM Internship Scheme would be based on the feedback received from the stakeholder consultations and evaluation of outcomes during the implementation of the pilot project."

State‑wise application and joining figures

Across both rounds, Andhra Pradesh led in terms of the number of applicants with 51,225 candidates, followed by Uttar Pradesh (46,272) and Madhya Pradesh (43,851).

The number of applicants fell in several states and Union Territories in the second round, with Mizoram down by 75% (16 in round one and 4 in round two), Haryana 74.6% (13,381 in round one and 3,389 in round two), Assam 60.5% (7,384 in round one and 2,913 in round two), Uttar Pradesh 50.2% (30,889 in round one and 15,383 in round two), Nagaland 49.5% (109 in round one and 55 in round two), Manipur 48.3% (118 in round one and 61 in round two), Delhi 47.7% (5,682 in round one and 2,972 in round two), Jharkhand 45.3% (4,172 in round one and 2,283 in round two), Himachal Pradesh 44.3% (1,210 in round one and 674 in round two).

In terms of actual hires, Uttar Pradesh topped the list with 1,913 joiners (1,241 in round one and 672 in round two), followed by Assam (1,806) and Madhya Pradesh (1,247). All three states recorded fewer joiners in round two than in round one.

Status of SC and ST candidates

The number of applications from SC and ST candidates decreased from 1,24,258 in the first round to 1,01,152 in the second round, while the total number of SC and ST applicants increased from 37,165 to 47,975. The total number of internship offers made by partner companies to SC and ST candidates stood at 30,001 (13,222 in the first round and 16,779 in the second round).

However, despite these increases in applicants and offers, the number of SC and ST interns who actually joined fell from 1,802 in round one to 1,364 in round two.

Company participation

Only 95 interns have been given offer letters across 17 companies. Muthoot Finance issued the most offers (32), followed by Tech Mahindra (20), Manappuram Finance (14), IDFC First Bank (seven) and Dr. Reddy’s Lab (five). The only public‑sector entity to extend a full‑time offer was Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC).

A separate list shows 93 firms that provided fewer than 50 internship slots each. Info Edge (India) was the highest among them with 49 offers, while DCB Bank, Mahanagar Gas , Atlas Copco (India), Gharda Chemicals, Macleods Pharmaceuticals, Winsol Solar Fields, Yarrow Infrastructure and Maharashtra Eastern Grid Power Transmission Co. Ltd. each supplied a single internship across both rounds.

The scheme remains voluntary for employers, and any company may make offers.

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