DESW Internship Scheme

What is the DESW Internship Scheme?

The DESW Internship Scheme is an internship programme of the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare (DESW), which sits within the Ministry of Defence. According to the scheme guidelines, the programme engages Indian youth as interns so that they gain firsthand experience and understanding of the welfare, healthcare, resettlement and administrative schemes that the government runs for ex-servicemen and their families.

The internship is built around a research assignment. Each intern is given a specific topic, undertakes a structured study, and submits a final report that may contribute to policy or programme improvements. The internship runs for a minimum of 2 months and a maximum of 12 months, and positions are available through the year depending on DESW's requirements.

This is a Tier 3, tightly focused scheme. It is not a broad stipend or scholarship programme; it is a route for a small number of students to work on veteran-welfare research inside a government department. The published benefits are experiential rather than financial: exposure to the subject, a structured research assignment, a completion certificate and the possibility that a good report is published with credit to the intern. The scheme document does not specify a stipend amount, so prospective applicants should confirm any remuneration directly with DESW rather than assume one.

Key features of the DESW Internship Scheme

• Run by the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare, Ministry of Defence.
• Open to graduate and postgraduate students from any recognised university and any academic stream.
• Duration of 2 to 12 months, available throughout the year.
• Interns produce a structured research report on a veteran-welfare topic.
• Ends with a certificate of successful completion; selected reports may be published.

Who is eligible for the DESW Internship Scheme?

You can apply if:

• You are a citizen of India.
• You are a graduate or postgraduate student of a recognised university or institution, in any academic stream.
• You can provide a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from your parent institution along with the application (the NOC may be submitted before joining).

You cannot apply if:

• You are not a student of a recognised university or institution at the graduate or postgraduate level.
• You cannot obtain the NOC from your institution, which is a mandatory part of the application.

The scheme deliberately keeps the academic-stream requirement open, so students of law, social sciences, public policy, management and other disciplines can all apply, as long as they are graduate or postgraduate students.

What work do DESW interns do?

DESW interns are assigned specific topics connected to veteran affairs. According to the scheme's scope of work, these include:

• Welfare schemes for ex-servicemen and their families.
• Resettlement and rehabilitation programmes for veterans.
• Healthcare policies for ex-servicemen.
• Administrative processes and challenges in veteran affairs.

The intern studies the assigned topic and submits a final report to the designated officer. For completion and certification, this report must be submitted and found satisfactory.

What documents are required for the DESW internship?

How to apply for the DESW Internship Scheme

The application is made online through a Google Form that is linked from the DESW website. The steps set out in the scheme guidelines are:

1. Visit the official DESW website at desw.gov.in.
2. Open the Scheme menu and select DESW Internship Scheme; the scheme guidelines open in a new tab.
3. In the guidelines, click the highlighted "Click Here" link, which opens the Google Form proforma of application for the DESW Internship Scheme.
4. Fill in your details; name, parent's name, date of birth, nationality, correspondence address, mobile number, and your Class 10, 12, graduation and post-graduation details with year of passing, percentage and university.
5. Select the internship duration (2 months to 1 year), choose your areas of interest, and state whether you have previously interned with any government body.
6. Write a Statement of Purpose of up to 200 words, agree to the applicant's undertaking, select the NOC option (not applicable, or will submit before joining), review your entries and submit the form.

Candidates who are approved for interview are required to submit a hard copy of their resume, the Statement of Purpose (maximum 200 words) and the No Objection Certificate from their institution.

Help and where to check details

Because internship availability depends on DESW's ongoing requirements, applicants should always check the current guidelines and application link on the official DESW website at desw.gov.in before applying. General queries about the scheme listing can also be directed to the myScheme helpdesk at 011-24303714 (9:00 AM to 5:30 PM). As the scheme document does not state a stipend, do not rely on any third-party claim of a fixed payment — confirm remuneration, if any, with the Department itself.

How to check your application status

The DESW Internship Scheme does not run through a tracked online portal with a login, application ID or status dashboard. Since the entire application is a single Google Form submission, there is no digital tracking number generated at the time of submission. To find out where an application stands, applicants need to follow up directly rather than check a status page.

1. Keep a record of your submission. Note the date you submitted the Google Form and, if the form gave a confirmation screen or auto-reply email, save that as proof of submission. This is the only receipt most applicants get.
2. Wait for a call or email from DESW. Shortlisting is communicated directly to the applicant, typically by phone or the email address entered in the form. There is no published timeline for how long shortlisting takes, so applicants should not assume rejection simply because time has passed.
3. Contact DESW through the official website for a direct update. Visit desw.gov.in and use the contact details listed there for the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare, since the internship desk within DESW is best placed to confirm whether an application is under review, shortlisted, or closed.
4. Use the myScheme helpline for general queries only. The number 011-24303714 (9:00 AM to 5:30 PM) is the myScheme helpdesk for the scheme listing, not a DESW-specific status line, so it can clarify eligibility or process questions but cannot look up an individual application's status.
5. Treat an interview call as the status update. Because the scheme has no separate "under review" or "rejected" notification stage described in the guidelines, being invited to submit hard-copy documents for interview is effectively the first concrete status signal an applicant receives after submission.

Applicants who have not heard back within a reasonable period after applying should follow up with DESW directly rather than resubmitting the Google Form, since a duplicate submission does not create a distinct status and may only add confusion about which entry to review.

Common reasons for rejection

Because the DESW Internship Scheme is a small, discretionary research internship rather than a benefit disbursed against fixed formulas, most rejections happen at the screening stage rather than after review. The specific, avoidable reasons include:

• Missing or incomplete No Objection Certificate. The NOC from the parent institution is mandatory, and while it can be submitted before joining, an applicant who cannot produce one at all, or whose institution refuses to issue it, will not be able to complete the process. Fix: confirm with your institution's administration before applying that an NOC will be issued, so the internship offer does not fall through after shortlisting.
• Not currently a graduate or postgraduate student. The scheme is open only to students of a recognised university or institution at the graduate or postgraduate level; applicants who have already completed their studies and are not enrolled anywhere, or who are still in school, do not meet the basic eligibility. Fix: apply only while actively enrolled in a graduate or postgraduate programme.
• Weak or generic Statement of Purpose. The Statement of Purpose is capped at 200 words and is one of the few pieces of evidence DESW has to judge fit for a research-based internship on veteran welfare; a vague or copy-pasted statement that does not connect the applicant's interest to the scheme's subject areas (welfare, resettlement, healthcare or administration for ex-servicemen) is an easy reason to be passed over. Fix: write a specific, personal statement that names the area of veteran welfare you want to work on and why.
• Incomplete educational details. The form asks for Class 10, 12, graduation and post-graduation details including board or course, year of passing, percentage and university; leaving these fields incomplete or inconsistent makes an application harder to evaluate against other candidates. Fix: gather your academic records before starting the form so every field can be filled in accurately in one sitting.
• No positions available at the time of application. Since internship intake depends on DESW's ongoing requirements rather than a fixed periodic cycle, an application submitted when no slots are open may simply not be taken forward, without this being a rejection of the applicant's profile. Fix: check the current guidelines on desw.gov.in before applying, and if there is no response after a reasonable wait, consider reapplying later rather than assuming permanent rejection.
• Failure to submit hard-copy documents after shortlisting. Shortlisted candidates must submit a hard copy of their resume, Statement of Purpose and NOC before the interview; not completing this step in time can forfeit an otherwise successful application. Fix: prepare these documents in advance so they are ready the moment a shortlisting call comes.