New Delhi, June 4 (IANS) The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD) has invited applications for the August–September term under its internship programme from women aged between 21 to 40 years living in non-tier-I cities and rural areas, an official said on Thursday.

The programme seeks to orient participants with the policies and programmes of the Ministry through short-term association and encourage their participation in improved implementation of schemes and engagement with policy processes, the official added.

The programme is open to women students, scholars, social activists and teachers who are enrolled in or associated with any university, academic or non-academic institution, the official said in a statement.

Prospective interns may submit applications online on Internship Programme portal — http://wcd.intern.nic.in, the statement added.

The Internship Programme is conducted in four terms during the financial year: May–June, August–September, November–December and February–March, each of two months’ duration.

“For every term, applications are accepted two months prior to the commencement of each term, between the 1st and 10th of the month. Candidates selected once are not eligible to apply for subsequent terms,” the statement said.

The selected candidates are informed about the policies and programmes of the Ministry through short-term association.

An official statement said that the interns may undertake pilot projects or micro-studies focusing on ongoing activities of the Ministry.

“Through this initiative, the Ministry aims to tap young talent by providing opportunities to contribute towards improved implementation of schemes and engage with policy processes,” the statement added.

“The programme also facilitates research and meaningful interaction on government initiatives, enabling interns to contribute through empirical analysis, reports, policy papers and briefs,” the statement said.

“It further provides an enabling environment for interaction with Ministry officials, other line Ministries and key stakeholders working towards the well-being and empowerment of women and children, while helping bridge information gaps on related issues in the country,” it added.

–IANS

rch/khz