National Informatics Centre opens 50 paid winter intern seats in New Delhi

The National Informatics Centre (NIC), the government's technology arm under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), opened registration on Monday, 2 November 2026 for its Winter Internship Programme 2026 under the Digital India Internship scheme. According to the notice details published by education portals, 50 interns will be taken for at least two months at NIC Headquarters in New Delhi from 1 December 2026, with a token payment of Rs 10,000 a month. Applications are made online on the dii.nic.in portal, and the last date listed for registration is 13 November 2026.

Paid government internships in technology are few, and NIC's is one of the better known. NIC builds and runs much of the software behind central and state government services, from e-office systems to the portals citizens use for certificates and payments. An internship there puts a student inside the teams that keep these systems running, which is a different kind of experience from a private-sector project.

The winter batch is also small. With only 50 seats for students from across the country, the programme is selective by design. Listings of the scheme state that meeting the minimum qualification does not by itself guarantee a place, and that candidates with relevant exposure or higher qualifications may be preferred. That makes the strength of an application, including projects and skills, important.

Eligibility is limited to technical courses. Listings of the notice name students of B.E. or B.Tech in their third year (including lateral-entry students in their third year), students in the first year of M.E., M.Tech or M.Sc in computer science or IT, and MCA students in their second year. Some listings also mention dual-degree and DoEACC 'B' level students. Because the portals word the year rules slightly differently, applicants are expected to check the official notice on dii.nic.in before applying. Under the scheme's general rules, students in their final semester are not eligible.

The internship is held offline in New Delhi. Students from outside the capital would need to arrange their own stay for at least two months, which matters when comparing the Rs 10,000 monthly payment with living costs in the city.

What the reader should do next: an eligible student who wants to apply would need to register on dii.nic.in before the listed last date of 13 November 2026, keep the last mark sheet ready to show the 60% score, and check the official notice for the course-and-year rules.

Peepals calculation: At Rs 10,000 a month, one intern receives Rs 20,000 for the minimum two months and Rs 30,000 if the internship is extended to three months (10,000 x 2 and 10,000 x 3). For all 50 seats over two months, that comes to Rs 10 lakh (50 x 20,000 = 10,00,000). The registration window runs 12 days, from 2 to 13 November, and the internship starts 18 days after it closes (13 November to 1 December). Our calculation from the reported figures.

Short-term: Eligible engineering, M.Tech, M.Sc and MCA students have until 13 November 2026 to register. Those selected would need to be in New Delhi from 1 December, which overlaps with the winter break in many colleges.

Long-term: An internship at the body that runs many government digital services can add public-sector technology experience to a student's record, which may help in applications for government technology roles and in private-sector jobs that work on public systems.

Who is affected: Third-year B.E. and B.Tech students, first-year M.E., M.Tech and M.Sc (computer science or IT) students, second-year MCA students with at least 60% marks, and their colleges.

What to watch next: The registration deadline of 13 November 2026 and the start of the internship on 1 December 2026.

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