PM's Internship Scheme: What's working, what's not, what it teaches youth

A look at the varied experiences of Prime Minister's Internship Scheme - what's working, what's not, and what it's teaching India's youth

At the Pune office of a technology major, Yash Padwalkar from Solapur (Maharashtra) began by upskilling in Cloud computing and data engineering before gradually taking on real tasks. A BTech in computer engineering from Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Technological University, Padwalkar says when he applied for the Prime Minister’s Internship Scheme (PMIS), he didn’t even own a laptop. “I was learning programming on YouTube, on my phone.”

 

Besides a laptop, the scheme, he adds, gave him access to premium learning resources and the kind of industry exposure that would have otherwise been elusive. 

Running as a pilot project since October 2024,