Govt seeks interns from IIMs to help it in COVID-19-related work

The central government has sought interns from the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and other knowledge partners to help its empowered groups of officers responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a communique, the personnel ministry asked these institutes to provide MBA interns to support the empowered groups in data analysis and evidence-based policy inputs.

The government of India has constituted 11 empowered groups for ensuring a comprehensive and integrated response to the coronavirus pandemic.

"It has been decided with the approval of the competent authority that interns may be provided for a period of eight weeks from the date of joining to the said empowered groups," the communique said.

The interns proposed by the IIMs and knowledge partners will be interviewed (remotely) and selected on the basis of their bio-data and experience, and interviews, it said.

The empowered groups will assign tasks and get outputs as required by the group from the interns, who will be working remotely on the work assigned to them, communique said.

The satisfactory completion of the internship shall be confirmed by the relevant empowered group or department concerned to which the interns are attached, the ministry said.

On receiving confirmation from the empowered groups, the interns will be issued certificates by the secretary of the department of personnel and training, it added.

"No stipend will be paid to the interns during their assignments," the ministry said.

The request seeking interns has been sent to the 20 IIMs, including those in Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Lucknow, Indore, Kozhikode, Shillong, Ranchi, Raipur and Bodh Gaya.

Besides, knowledge partners including the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad and Mohali, the Management Development Institute in Gurgaon, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in Delhi, the Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Foundation in Delhi and the Indian Institute of Public Administration in Delhi, have also been asked to propose the names of interns.