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Informist, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024

--Govt source: Launched PM Internship Scheme to address skillset gap 
--Govt source: To nudge all states to promote PM Internship plan 
--Govt source: Aim to enrol 100,000 youth by Dec 2 under PM internship plan 
--Govt source: PM Internship plan to focus on aiding economically weak youth 
--Govt source: To present Cabinet note after PM Internship plan pilot study 
--Govt source: PM Internship Scheme pilot may cost about 8 bln rupees 
--Govt source: Aim to get Cabinet nod for PM Internship Scheme by FY25 end

NEW DELHI - The corporate affairs ministry launched a pilot for the Prime Minister Internship Scheme on Thursday and aims to seek the Cabinet's approval for the scheme after studying the response to the pilot, a top ministry official said. The ministry plans to seek the approval of the Cabinet in the current financial year ending March itself, the official said. 

"We do not want any half-baked idea to be passed by the Cabinet. It should be backed by data and analysis," the official said. Though the (Cabinet) note will be prepared after the pilot study, which is likely to continue till the end of December, the aim is to get the approval in this financial year itself, the official added. 

The government rolled out the pilot portal to facilitate the one-year internship scheme for the youth, announced in the Budget for 2024-25 (Apr-Mar). According to the official, the pilot portal will be live for companies to post their openings till Oct. 10, and candidates can apply after registering with minimum data on the portal from Oct. 12. 

The portal will do the initial sifting and shortlist candidates with the help of artificial intelligence by Oct. 26 and pass on the data to companies to take the recruitment process ahead. The official said that selected candidates would be given a window between Nov. 8 and Nov. 15 to accept offers. Each candidate may get three offers and will choose based on their interest. 

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said in the Budget speech in July that the scheme would provide internships to 10 million youths over five years. The internships will be provided in the country's top 500 companies. The selected internees will get an allowance of INR 5,000 per month and a one-time assistance of INR 6,000. The companies will be expected to bear the cost of training and 10% of the internship cost from their corporate social responsibility funds, the minister had said.

The first lot of internees are likely to hit the workforce on Dec. 2. The official said that the aim is to have 100,000 internship offers by Dec. 2.

 
The internship scheme is part of the Prime Minister’s package for employment and skilling announced in the Budget with an overall outlay of around INR 2 trillion. The pilot portal, marking the initial leg of the scheme roll out, has cost the government around INR 8 billion, the official said. 

While the aim of the scheme is to address the issue of unemployability and the skillset gap in the country, the official said that it will also provide opportunities for economically weaker sections of society to gain exposure. Youths with an annual family income of less than INR 800,000 will be eligible for the scheme. "We want the scheme to be beneficial for those with limited resources, so that they have access to skill and can be brought into the regular workforce," the official said.

The top 500 companies were selected to partner with the scheme to ensure exposure to the youth, the official said. "We have issues with employability and this scheme will help train youth so that they become a skilled resource."

The ministry official said the government may nudge all states to promote the scheme so that more candidates can apply on the portal. "It is a pilot, but we would like it to be spread across all jurisdictions, so we may ask chief ministers and members of Parliament to advertise the scheme in their states or constituencies."
 
The official also said that the pilot portal has been live since early Thursday and as of 1100 IST, the sectors that have shown interest in hiring interns are those in automobiles, pharmaceuticals and agriculture and allied activities. As of 1100 IST, 111 companies listed 1,077 internship openings, including Alembic, Mahindra and Mahindra and Max Life Insurance. End

Reported by Priyasmita Dutta

Edited by Saji George Titus

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