MCA Expands Prime Minister Internship Scheme’s Eligibility Criteria

• Manish Kumar
• 23 Apr 2026
• 121 Views

The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has expanded the eligibility criteria of the pilot phase of Prime Minister Internship Scheme (PMIS) to include final year students in graduate and postgraduate programmes who were earlier not able to apply under the scheme. This is seen as a major step towards strengthening youth employability and industry readiness. 

This move is anticipated to unblock early access to structured internship opportunities in the leading companies across India for students. It will allow them to gain hand-on industry exposure before their formal education gets completed. The MCA formalized this decision in consultation with the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education. 

New Changes under PMIS

The new changes pertaining to the eligibility criteria under the PMIS are as follows:

• Students who are in their final year of undergraduate course as well as postgraduate students are now eligible to apply under PMIS.

• Applicants must continue to meet the existing eligibility criteria under PMIS scheme.

• During PMIS application process, students are required to submit a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from their respective educational institutions.

• The NOC should clearly state that participation in internship will not interfere with academic requirements 

• The NOC must be authorized by authorized signatories like Heads of Department, Deans, Principals or Training & Placement Officers.

The National Education Policy (NEP) of India gives focus to experiential learning, including internships, industry engagement and hands‑on exposure, as an important part of higher education. PMIS helps students reach this goal by letting them do structured paid internships while they are still in school. This way, they can learn about the real world while they are still enrolled. It supports the NEP's goal of making students more employable and helping them develop their skills, which makes the transition from education to work easier and smoother. 

When students get early exposure to professional environments, they can develop crucial workplace competencies like problem solving, communication, adaptability and team, all which are quite important for ensuring success in today’s thriving economy. 

PMIS aims to reduce the gap between academic learning and industry expectations, enhance job-readiness at the point of graduation, offer real-world exposure to corporate environments, business procedures and professional culture by allowing the students to participate in internships while they are still enrolled. 

About the Prime Minister Internship Scheme (PMIS)

Prime Minister Internship Scheme, abbreviated as PMIS, is a flagship initiative of the Government of India. It has been designed to provide structured, paid internship opportunities to students across the country. Under the PMIS scheme, the interns shall receive a minimum stipend of Rs. 9,000 per month. The scheme offers paid internships in leading companies across various sectors in the country. 

300+ companies have participated in the PMIS scheme’s pilot phase to provide internship opportunities across roles and sectors. At present, the pilot phase’s third round is going on wherein the companies are posting internship opportunities in a proactive manner. 

Using the official PMIS portal (www.pminternship.mca.gov.in), the eligible youth aged between 18 to 26 years of age explore and apply for the internship opportunities that align with their interests as well as career goals. 

Source: Press Information Bureau (PIB)