Congress Critiques Government's Internship Scheme Announced in Budget 2024

The Congress Party has criticized Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's announcement of an internship scheme in the Union Budget 2024-25. The scheme aims to provide internship opportunities to 1 crore youth but is seen by Congress as a headline-grabbing attempt with arbitrary targets, reminiscent of their own proposed apprenticeship program.

The Congress Party on Tuesday accused Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman of borrowing ideas from its 2024 Lok Sabha polls manifesto by announcing an internship program, claiming it aims to 'grab headlines with arbitrary targets' rather than providing a guaranteed program.

In the Union Budget 2024-25, Sitharaman revealed a plan to launch a scheme offering internship opportunities to 1 crore youth in 500 top companies over the next five years.

Jairam Ramesh, the Congress general secretary in charge of communications, stated, 'The Finance Minister has borrowed from the INC's Nyay Patra 2024, with its internship program clearly modeled on the Congress's proposed Apprenticeship Program called Pehli Naukri Pakki,' adding that the scheme lacks programmatic guarantees and instead focuses on ambitious targets.

Ramesh also highlighted that after 'ten years of denial', the government has tacitly admitted that mass unemployment is a national crisis by including job-related measures in the Budget, but criticized the effort as 'far too late and far too little'.

The Congress's 2024 manifesto had promised a Right to Apprenticeship Act, aiming to provide a one-year apprenticeship with a stipend of Rs 1 lakh per year to every diploma holder or college graduate under 25, enhancing employability and job prospects.