National Renewable Energy Internship (NREI) Scheme

What is the National Renewable Energy Internship (NREI) Scheme?

The National Renewable Energy Internship (NREI) Scheme is an internship programme run by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India. According to the Ministry, it gives students pursuing undergraduate, graduate or post-graduate degrees, and research scholars enrolled in recognised institutes or universities in India or abroad, the chance to intern with MNRE and organisations under its aegis.

The aim is to let interns understand the Ministry's functioning, its renewable energy programmes and policy, and contribute practical inputs; analysis, technical reports, project reports and policy papers. Interns are attached to senior-level officers in the Ministry's various Programme Divisions. The scheme also allows people already engaged in renewable energy policy, research, promotion, demonstration and deployment projects to intern in the Ministry.

Key features

• Stipend of Rs 15,000 per month for physical internships (no stipend for virtual internships).
• Duration of two to six months, offered twice a year.
• A maximum of 20 interns per year.
• Applications accepted online only, preferably in July and January.

Who is eligible for the NREI Scheme?

You can apply if:

• You are pursuing a graduate or post-graduate degree in engineering, management, law, a science stream, or renewable energy at a recognised university or institution in India or abroad; or
• You are working in the renewable energy area in a national, international or non-governmental institute or organisation.

The Ministry may relax any of these conditions for a deserving candidate.

You cannot apply if:

• You are a school student or otherwise do not meet the graduate, post-graduate, research-scholar or renewable-energy-professional criteria.
• You have already interned under the scheme; no intern may repeat or extend the internship.

Selection is competitive: all applications are scrutinised by a Selection Committee, and offers depend on the availability of slots and the consent of the concerned division. Meeting the eligibility criteria does not guarantee an offer.

What documents are required?

Selected candidates must produce original mark sheets and the institution's NOC at the time of joining, failing which their candidature is cancelled. Interns must also furnish a Declaration of Secrecy before reporting.

How to apply for the NREI Scheme

1. During an open half-yearly cycle, visit the official MNRE website (mnre.gov.in) and open the online internship application form.
2. Fill in all the mandatory fields and clearly indicate your area of interest — MNRE's thrust research areas and programme areas are listed on the website.
3. Upload the required documents (self-attested where needed) in the specified file size and format.
4. Click Submit and note down the Application ID for future reference.

Apply at least one month before your expected joining date and not more than 3 months in advance. All applications are scrutinised by the Selection Committee, and the HRD Division uploads the list of selected candidates on the MNRE website.

What benefits do interns receive?

• Stipend: Rs 15,000 per month for physical internships. No stipend is paid for virtual internships.
• Certificate of internship: Issued on satisfactory completion and evaluation of the intern's report or paper.
• Logistic support: MNRE provides internet facilities and other necessities for physical internships. Interns must bring their own laptops and arrange their own lodging and boarding.

Help and contact

Applications and queries are handled directly through the MNRE website during an open cycle. No standalone national helpline number is published specifically for the NREI Scheme, so rely on the official mnre.gov.in portal and avoid any third-party service claiming paid registration: applying is free.

How to check your application status

The NREI Scheme has no online tracking dashboard or application-status login for candidates. Selection is announced by publication, not by individual status updates, so you have to follow up through these channels instead.

1. Note your Application ID at submission. When you submit the online form on mnre.gov.in, the confirmation screen or acknowledgement email carries a reference number. Save it: it is the only proof you applied and the detail you will quote in any follow-up.
2. Watch the MNRE website for the selection list. Once the Selection Committee has met, the Ministry's HRD Division uploads the list of selected candidates on mnre.gov.in. Check the notices or "What's New" section of the site after the application window for the cycle (July or January) has closed, rather than expecting an individual call or letter.
3. Check your registered email and phone. If a Programme Division shortlists you, contact typically comes as a direct email or call from MNRE inviting you to join, referencing the details from your application, so keep the email address and phone number you applied with active and monitored.
4. Email the concerned Programme Division for a manual update if the window has closed and no list has appeared. Since there is no published helpline for the NREI Scheme, a status query is best directed to the Ministry's general contact channels listed on mnre.gov.in, quoting your Application ID, the cycle you applied in and your area of interest.
5. Treat silence past the cycle's joining window as non-selection. Because slots are capped at 20 interns a year and selection is discretionary, MNRE does not send rejection notices; if the list is out and your name is not on it, or the joining window for that cycle has passed without contact, the application did not succeed for that round, and a fresh application in the next half-yearly cycle is the only way forward.

Common reasons for rejection

• Applied for a virtual-only slot expecting a stipend, or vice versa. The Rs 15,000 monthly stipend applies only to physical internships; if your application or preference doesn't align with what the current cycle is offering (physical seats are limited to 20 a year), it is more likely to be passed over. Confirm in the notification whether the cycle is offering physical or virtual placements before applying.
• Submitted outside the one-month-to-three-month application window. Applications must reach MNRE at least one month before your intended joining date and not more than three months in advance. Forms submitted too early or too close to the desired start date are routinely set aside since the Selection Committee plans intern intake against actual division-wise availability.
• No NOC or supervisor letter attached, or an unclear one. The No Objection Certificate from your institution and the letter from your Supervisor, Head of Department or Principal are mandatory precisely because they establish that you are a genuine, currently enrolled student (or a bona fide renewable-energy professional) free to intern for the stated period. A missing, expired, or vague letter that doesn't confirm your enrolment status is a common cause of rejection at the scrutiny stage.
• Area of interest doesn't match any Programme Division's current need. Since interns are attached to specific senior officers in MNRE's Programme Divisions, an application that names a research or policy interest outside the Ministry's listed thrust areas for that cycle is less likely to find a sponsoring division, even if the candidate is otherwise eligible.
• No slot available in the concerned division despite meeting eligibility. With only 20 interns taken per year across all divisions, meeting every eligibility condition does not guarantee a seat; offers additionally depend on a division's consent and slot availability, so a fully eligible, well-documented application can still be turned down purely for lack of capacity in that cycle.
• Trying to repeat or extend a previous NREI internship. The scheme explicitly disallows repeating or extending an internship already completed under it; a second application from a past NREI intern will be rejected on this ground alone, regardless of how the rest of the form is filled.
• Incomplete document set at the time of joining. Even after being shortlisted, candidates who cannot produce original mark sheets and the institution's NOC when reporting have their candidature cancelled. Keep originals ready well before the joining date rather than assuming scanned copies submitted online are sufficient.