New Delhi: The Centre has overhauled the performance indicators for the Prime Minister's Internship Scheme (PMIS) after the pilot faced challenges in converting applications into actual internships, according to two people familiar with the matter.

The revised scorecard for FY26-27 comes after the government extended the pilot till December 2026, shifting the focus from youth registrations to internship creation, stipend disbursals and successful completion of internships.

The changes mark a shift from tracking registrations to measuring implementation after the pilot generated strong interest, but relatively few candidates ultimately joined.

While companies made more than 132,000 internship offers during the pilot, only about 16,000 candidates eventually joined, prompting the government to prioritise measurable outcomes before rolling out the scheme nationwide.

Under the Department of Expenditure's FY26-27 performance framework, the ministry of corporate affairs (MCA) has been tasked with onboarding 750 eligible companies, facilitating 73,333 internship opportunities, ensuring timely monthly direct benefit transfers (DBT) to interns and achieving a 100% internship completion rate, the people said. The framework targets a 50% increase in companies posting internships on the PMIS portal and a similar increase in internship opportunities listed.

"The scheme received a robust response from both companies and applicants during the pilot. The challenge has been improving the conversion of internship offers into actual joinings and successful completion. The revised performance framework reflects that implementation focus," said the first person on the condition of anonymity.

Responding to Mint's queries, the MCA said the FY26-27 performance targets were prepared during FY25-26, when the government expected to launch the full scheme. Accordingly, the target for participating companies was increased to 750 from 500, while the target of 110,000 internship opportunities was split between FY25-26 (36,667) and FY26-27 (73,333).

The framework also targets a 50% increase in companies posting internships on the PMIS portal and a similar increase in internship opportunities listed, the people said.

The MCA said the pilot has been extended until December 2026 with the approval of the expenditure finance committee (EFC).

The scheme received a budgetary allocation of ₹4,788.45 crore for FY27, down 55.8% from a year earlier amid muted response.

Queries sent to the finance ministry and the Prime Minister's Office remained unanswered till press time.

The pilot has produced mixed results. Companies offered about 132,000 internships across the first two rounds, of which 52,782 were accepted by candidates. However, only 16,060 candidates ultimately joined.

Round III has also widened the pool of eligible employers. Besides the top 500 companies, eligibility now extends to the top 2,000 companies by CSR expenditure, as well as companies with annual turnover exceeding ₹1,000 crore or net worth above ₹500 crore.

Selected interns receive a government stipend of ₹9,000 a month and a one-time joining grant of ₹6,000. Some participating companies have voluntarily paid more than the prescribed minimum stipend, according to the second person.

“One of the primary reasons apprenticeship and internship programmes succeed is that they are implemented through a third-party aggregator model involving formal staffing companies, as is the case with the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme,” Suchita Dutta, executive director of the Indian Staffing Federation.

"PMIS did not adopt this approach during its initial phase. The revised monitoring framework rightly puts greater emphasis on actual internship outcomes instead of registrations alone. Better implementation mechanisms and wider participation by staffing companies can improve conversion, reduce dropouts, and help achieve the scheme's objectives,” Dutta said.

In a written reply to the Lok Sabha on 30 March 2026, minister of state for corporate affairs Harsh Malhotra said the first two rounds of the pilot had been completed and the third round began on 20 March under revised guidelines. As of 15 March, 16,060 interns had joined the programme, while the government said the full scheme had not yet been launched and that the pilot would continue.

New Delhi: The Centre has overhauled the performance indicators for the Prime Minister's Internship Scheme (PMIS) after the pilot faced challenges in converting applications into actual internships, according to two people familiar with the matter.

The revised scorecard for FY26-27 comes after the government extended the pilot till December 2026, shifting the focus from youth registrations to internship creation, stipend disbursals and successful completion of internships.

The changes mark a shift from tracking registrations to measuring implementation after the pilot generated strong interest, but relatively few candidates ultimately joined.

While companies made more than 132,000 internship offers during the pilot, only about 16,000 candidates eventually joined, prompting the government to prioritise measurable outcomes before rolling out the scheme nationwide.

Under the Department of Expenditure's FY26-27 performance framework, the ministry of corporate affairs (MCA) has been tasked with onboarding 750 eligible companies, facilitating 73,333 internship opportunities, ensuring timely monthly direct benefit transfers (DBT) to interns and achieving a 100% internship completion rate, the people said. The framework targets a 50% increase in companies posting internships on the PMIS portal and a similar increase in internship opportunities listed.

"The scheme received a robust response from both companies and applicants during the pilot. The challenge has been improving the conversion of internship offers into actual joinings and successful completion. The revised performance framework reflects that implementation focus," said the first person on the condition of anonymity.

Responding to Mint's queries, the MCA said the FY26-27 performance targets were prepared during FY25-26, when the government expected to launch the full scheme. Accordingly, the target for participating companies was increased to 750 from 500, while the target of 110,000 internship opportunities was split between FY25-26 (36,667) and FY26-27 (73,333).

The framework also targets a 50% increase in companies posting internships on the PMIS portal and a similar increase in internship opportunities listed, the people said.

The MCA said the pilot has been extended until December 2026 with the approval of the expenditure finance committee (EFC).

The scheme received a budgetary allocation of ₹4,788.45 crore for FY27, down 55.8% from a year earlier amid muted response.

Queries sent to the finance ministry and the Prime Minister's Office remained unanswered till press time.

The pilot has produced mixed results. Companies offered about 132,000 internships across the first two rounds, of which 52,782 were accepted by candidates. However, only 16,060 candidates ultimately joined.

Round III has also widened the pool of eligible employers. Besides the top 500 companies, eligibility now extends to the top 2,000 companies by CSR expenditure, as well as companies with annual turnover exceeding ₹1,000 crore or net worth above ₹500 crore.

Selected interns receive a government stipend of ₹9,000 a month and a one-time joining grant of ₹6,000. Some participating companies have voluntarily paid more than the prescribed minimum stipend, according to the second person.

“One of the primary reasons apprenticeship and internship programmes succeed is that they are implemented through a third-party aggregator model involving formal staffing companies, as is the case with the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme,” Suchita Dutta, executive director of the Indian Staffing Federation.

"PMIS did not adopt this approach during its initial phase. The revised monitoring framework rightly puts greater emphasis on actual internship outcomes instead of registrations alone. Better implementation mechanisms and wider participation by staffing companies can improve conversion, reduce dropouts, and help achieve the scheme's objectives,” Dutta said.

In a written reply to the Lok Sabha on 30 March 2026, minister of state for corporate affairs Harsh Malhotra said the first two rounds of the pilot had been completed and the third round began on 20 March under revised guidelines. As of 15 March, 16,060 interns had joined the programme, while the government said the full scheme had not yet been launched and that the pilot would continue.