Kolkata, 27th February 2025: Lifting out potential candidates across various societal backgrounds and putting them in the nation’s workforce while impacting the lives and livelihood will be instrumental in nation-building, said Smt Deepti Gaur Mukherjee, Secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government of India in the first PMIS Mela hosted by CII in collaboration with Ministry of Corporate Affairs in Kolkata.

Leveraging CII’s on-ground skill initiatives to support the PMIS scheme, the nation’s first MCA-CII PMIS Facilitation Centre and PMIS Mela has been organized in Kolkata. The Centre will work towards sensitization of candidates’ registration in the portal and generating internship opportunities. Companies across sectors have today participated in PMIS Mela in Kolkata.

The Mela has been organized to expand outreach, encourage participation, and strengthen industry participation in nation-building. The PMIS scheme aims to create significant opportunities for the youth to gain hands-on industry experience and an opportunity to learn employable skills. This Mela bridges the gap between academia and real-world employment, fostering skill development and enhancing employability.

Hon’ble Finance Minister, Smt Nirmala Sitharaman, in the union budget for 2024-25, announced the launch of ‘Employment Linked Incentive’ (ELI) schemes, aimed at boosting hiring in line with the recommendations from CII. In support of this initiative, the Government of India has introduced the Prime Minister’s Internship Scheme (PMIS), designed to empower youth by providing quality internship opportunities. This will help them transition successfully into the workforce through structured industry exposure and mentorship.

Highlighting the creation of 1.27 lakh internship opportunities, Smt. Mukherjee stressed the importance of expanding these opportunities in the future. She proposed the establishment of a PMIS cell to ensure the effective implementation of the scheme. She also announced that MCA will create an online platform for mentorship and will also take such internship mela initiatives in a frequent interval of three to four months.

In addition to promoting employability, the initiative also aims to recognize and reward top-performing companies that are actively supporting the scheme. Furthermore, plans are underway to establish peer learning platforms, where other companies can participate, share best practices, and learn from each other’s experiences, fostering a collaborative environment that drives collective growth and improvement.

Applauding that an impressive gathering of over 700 candidates from across West Bengal and representatives from more than 30 top companies has attended the PMIS mela, Mr Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, Confederation of Indian Industry advocated that the whole vision is to enhance student engagement in the workforce, thereby creating a robust ecosystem for talent development and industry collaboration.

Mr Harshavardhan Neotia, Chairman, CII Suresh Neotia Centre of Excellence for Leadership and Chairman Ambuja Neotia Group said that PMIS is a timely and groundbreaking initiative by the Government providing the perfect platform for students emphasizing skill development, real-world experience, and financial support, that meets the demands of India’s growing economy.