Nearly 50 companies, including major names like TCS, Tech Mahindra, L&T, Apollo Tyres, Titan, Divis Labs, and Britannia, have collectively offered more than 13,000 internships through the PM Internship scheme portal, which opened for corporate registrations last week. This initiative, part of the government’s efforts to bridge the skills gap among young professionals, has seen around 200 companies register with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, targeting 120,000 internships in this financial year.
Prominent contributors like Mahindra & Mahindra, L&T, Tata Group, and Jubilant Foodworks are among the top companies providing internships in industries such as banking, financial services, energy, FMCG, manufacturing, and hospitality. A source from TOI mentioned that these opportunities cover a broad range of sectors.
First announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the previous budget, the scheme aims to provide internships to 10 million young people. The primary focus is on the top 500 companies, ranked by their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) spending over the past three years. Additionally, vendors, suppliers, and other businesses are invited to voluntarily join this initiative.
The internships span roles in sales, marketing, production, and operations management, covering 179 districts. The first phase, which started on September 3, allows companies from the top 500 list to register and list internships. Candidate registrations are scheduled to begin on Saturday.
The first group of interns is expected to begin by early December, with participants earning $60 per month and receiving a one-time payment of $72. Based on feedback from this phase, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs will fine-tune the scheme for cabinet approval to extend its reach. Companies listed under this initiative include Reliance Industries, TCS, HDFC Bank, ONGC, Infosys, NTPC, Tata Steel, ITC, IndianOil, and ICICI Bank.
