Aadhaar to be mandatory for PM Internship Scheme: Report

The Corporate Affairs Ministry has announced that intern aspirants looking to avail benefits of recently launched PM Internship Scheme have to carry Aadhar number or undergo Aadhaar authentication. The PM Internship Scheme is a one-year experience in the top companies of India. 
Possessing Aadhaar is a mandatory requirement since the scheme’s implementation entails regular expenditure to be spent and the payouts will take place through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), reported Business Line quoting sources.
The internship involves one-time assistance of ₹6,000 along with a monthly allowance of ₹5,000 ( ₹4,500 from government and ₹500 from Corporate CSR fund) to the youth participating in the internships. 
Those youth who do not have Aadhaar number will be asked to make application for Aadhaar enrolment if they are desirous of availing benefits under PM Internship Scheme, sources said.
Interns will also get insurance coverage under Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana by Government of India
Till the time an Aadhaar number is assigned to them, the benefit under the scheme will be extended to such individuals on production of an “Aadhar enrolment identification slip” and any of the official documents such as PAN Card, Passport, ration card, voter identity card, public sector bank passbook with photograph, driving licence or certificate of disability, they said.
Meanwhile, the number of internship opportunities posted in the dedicated portal for the PM Internship Scheme surged as of Wednesday to nearly 50,000, a three-fold jump from the 16,000 level seen two days back, sources in MCA said.
The portal was thrown open to the public on October 3 for companies to post the internship opportunities. So far, internship opportunities have been posted by over 130 companies including Jubilant Foodworks, Eicher Motor Ltd, Larsen & Toubro Ltd, Tech Mahindra, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd, Bajaj Finance, Muthoot Finance etc.
Internship opportunities exist across the country, and are made available in 650 districts, spread across 36 States and Union Territories, sources said. These internship opportunities are spread across 22 sectors. 
The greatest shares are available in the oil, gas and energy sectors, followed closely by travel and hospitality.
Other sources in which internship opportunities are available include automotives, banking and financial services, infrastructure and construction, manufacturing and industrial, aviation and defence etc., sources said. Internships are available in over 20 fields including operations management, production and manufacturing, maintenance, sales and marketing etc, they added.
The Prime Minister Internship Scheme was launched on a pilot basis last Thursday. The government has set aside ₹800 crore for the pilot scheme, which aims to provide 1,25,000 internships to youth aged between 21 and 24 in FY25.
The Corporate Affairs Ministry (MCA) is administering the PM Internship Scheme, which was announced in this year’s budget as part of government efforts to give a push to job creation and skilling among youth.
The internship offers under the PMIS will be given by India’s top 500 companies ranked by average CSR spend in last three financial years. Corporates can between October 3-12 submit available positions on the internship portal. From October 12 to October 25, candidates can apply on the portal. Candidates’ shortlisted will be prepared on October 26 using Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Companies will between October 27 and November 7 review and select candidates. The candidates can then between November 8 and 15 accept or reject the internship offers.