Govt likely to expand participation in PM Internship Scheme by professional institutes

PMIS aims to provide internships to about 10 million youth over five years.

• Government may soon allow ICAI, ICMAI, ICSI to join PMIS
• Scheme changes will remove CSR fund barriers for institutes
• PMIS aims to offer 10 million internships in five years

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The government is likely to soon expand participation in the Prime Minister’s Internship Scheme (PMIS) to include statutory professional bodies such as the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), the Institute of Cost Accountants of India (ICMAI), and the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI), once certain funding provisions are modified, according to sources aware of the discussions.

Till now, participation under the scheme has largely been limited to corporates. The present design ties part of the stipend contribution to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds — a requirement that creates a participation barrier for professional institutes.

“The Government realises this constraint. A modification in the scheme is being worked upon, which may come within a month’s time. Once those amendments are made, the professional institutes may participate in PMIS,” a source aware of the development said on February 18.

“The modification is likely to enable participation by professional institutes that do not have CSR funds. For that to happen, the reference to CSR will have to be removed or suitably modified. That is the practical issue,” the source added.

Professional institutes operate under statutory mandates and do not maintain CSR pools similar to private sector companies, a structural difference that has so far prevented their inclusion.

“Under the present structure, a portion of the stipend is funded by the Government of India, while the rest has to come from the sponsoring entity linked to CSR funds. Professional institutes such as ours do not have CSR funds, which is why we could not participate,” ICAI President Prasanna Kumar D said.

“This is an issue common to all the three institutes. The participation challenge arises for professional bodies that do not have CSR funds,” Kumar said.

How PMIS operates

PMIS is designed as a structured internship programme aimed at improving employability by placing candidates with participating entities through a dedicated digital portal. The system records onboarding, engagement, and stipend payments, with the Government of India funding its component directly through digital transfers.

Announced in the Budget for FY26, PMIS aims to provide internships to about 10 million youth over five years. Under the scheme, interns are eligible for monthly financial assistance of Rs 5,000 for twelve months, along with a one-time grant of Rs 6,000.