Several accepted candidates back out of PM Internship scheme. Here’s why

The pilot project of the new PM Internship Scheme saw a number of candidates withdrawing after being offered internships, according to an Economic Times report.

HT couldn’t independently verify the information.

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The acceptance rate for the programme was about a third of all applicants in the first week, but many backed out at the last minute.

However, the acceptance rate rose to around two-thirds of the offers after that and is gradually improving further, the report read.

Why are accepted candidates backing out of the internship scheme?

According to the ET report, one of the main reasons accepted candidates backed out was that they applied only under pressure from their parents.

How much of a problem is this?

Despite this being seen as a valuable lesson that the corporate affairs ministry will consider, it has not affected the scheme’s success.

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This is because the scheme’s target of getting 125,000 interns in the initial pilot project will most likely be achieved since more than 620,000 aspirants had applied.

The first batch of serious candidates for the pilot project will be starting their internships on Monday, December 9, 2024 and the scheme’s formal launch may happen later this month.

What are the details of the PM Internship scheme?

The PM Internship scheme was announced by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Budget 2024 in July, with a target of giving internship opportunities to 10 million young Indians in 500 top companies over a period of five years to enhance their employability.

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Some of the companies that joined the initial pilot project included Reliance Industries, Tata Consultancy Services, HDFC Bank, Maruti Suzuki, Larsen & Toubro, Mahindra & Mahindra, Bajaj Finance and Jubilant Foodworks.

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