Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president Manickam Tagore on Thursday (October 22, 2026) criticised the Union government’s Prime Minister’s Internship Scheme (PMIS), saying it had failed to provide meaningful skill training to youth and accusing the BJP of copying the Congress’s ‘Pehli Naukri Pakki’ poll promise without understanding its objectives.

In a post on X , Mr. Tagore, citing official data from the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, said applications had declined from 6.21 lakh in the first round to 4.55 lakh in the second and 3.50 lakh in the third.

He said participation remained low despite the number of opportunities announced by companies. Of the 1,27,508 opportunities in the first round, only 8,760 candidates joined (6.9%). In the second round, 7,308 of 1,18,948 opportunities were taken up, while in the third, 14,620 of 1,54,366 opportunities were filled (9.5%).

Mr. Tagore also pointed to low completion rates as only 42.6% of those who joined in the first round and 39.4% in the second completed their training.

He alleged the government had diluted the scheme by reducing the internship duration from 12 months to six to nine months, relaxing the age criteria, and increasing the stipend to ₹9,000, without addressing its shortcomings.

Referring to certain interns from Lucknow and Ranchi, he claimed graduates were assigned tasks such as promoting digital payments at petrol stations and collecting bank loan repayments instead of receiving relevant professional training.

“The country’s youth need genuine skill development and dignified employment opportunities, not publicity campaigns and empty promises,” he said.