Pilot stage of internship scheme ending soon: FM Nirmala Sitharaman

The pilot stage of the internship scheme is coming to a close soon and the government would now seek cabinet approval for the launch of the regular scheme, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman (pictured) said during the North East roundtable on the Prime Minister Internship scheme (PMIS) on Friday.  The government aims to train 10 million youth in top companies over five years through PMIS.

 

Sitharaman said that India was a country going through a decade or more of demographic dividend. “If India only can use them and their productive skills, it will add so much more to our economy,” the FM said.

 

Sitharaman urged the industry to rope in their supply chains in providing internship opportunities. She also said that there was a need to create better awareness about the scheme through word-of-mouth campaign so that no deserving candidate is deprived of the opportunity offered by the PMIS. 

 

“Employers are not finding people, young people are not getting enough of what they are searching for. The government is trying to bridge this gap,” Sitharaman said.

 

On globalisation, Sitharaman, on Friday, said that the need of the hour is to have globalisation that is tempered to the local needs and a capitalism with a level of humanism. “We don’t need globalism which is going to sweep us out. What we need now here is

to embed your business with more accountable practices.”