The Prime Minister’s Internship Scheme has drawn significant interest from young aspirants nationwide, reflecting strong enthusiasm for structured industry exposure. Recent government data indicates a robust response to internship postings; however, the number of candidates who have completed their internships remains relatively low compared to the offers extended.
Launched as a pilot initiative, the scheme continues to attract students and graduates seeking practical, hands-on experience. Official records show that Round II of the PM Internship Scheme has also witnessed healthy participation, with more than 1.18 lakh internship opportunities posted and over 24,600 offers accepted. While these figures underscore sustained interest, they also highlight a gap between offer acceptance and internship completion.
Under Round I of the Prime Minister’s Internship Scheme (PMIS) pilot project, partner companies posted over 1.27 lakh internship opportunities. From these, 82,077 offers were made, and 28,141 were accepted, according to data shared by the Ministry of Finance. The numbers suggest that although corporate participation is strong and student interest is high, converting accepted offers into completed internships remains a key challenge.
State-wise data from Round I reveals wide variations in participation. Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Bihar, Gujarat, Telangana, Rajasthan, Assam, and Maharashtra recorded the highest number of internship offers. However, acceptance rates differed significantly across states, indicating uneven engagement levels and possible logistical or personal constraints faced by candidates.
When it comes to completion outcomes, the contrast is even sharper. As of November 30, 2025, states such as Assam, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Arunachal Pradesh reported the highest internship completion rates, with Assam leading at over 30 percent. Despite these pockets of relatively strong performance, overall completion levels remain modest.
Addressing Parliament during the ongoing winter session, Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stated that only 2,066 candidates had completed their internships as of November 30. This represents a small proportion of the total number of accepted offers, reinforcing concerns about attrition between onboarding and completion.
The Ministry further noted that during Round I alone, partner companies received more than 6.21 lakh applications from approximately 1.81 lakh candidates, underscoring the scheme’s popularity among youth. Companies issued over 82,000 offers to more than 60,000 candidates, with around 28,000 acceptances. Yet, only a fraction of these candidates have completed the full internship cycle so far.
Internships under the pilot project are designed for a duration of 12 months, with completion timelines for Round I interns extending from November 2025 to March 2026, depending on individual joining dates. This staggered schedule and flexible completion window may partly explain the currently low completion numbers.
The government has clarified that the PM Internship Scheme is not a placement programme, although participating companies may offer employment based on performance and internal requirements. To ensure oversight, a Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) framework and a dedicated dashboard are being used to track applications, selections, grievances, and outcomes.
As Round I interns move closer to their respective completion deadlines in early 2026, attention will remain on whether completion rates improve and how insights from the pilot phase shape the future design of the scheme.
