Ministry of Finance Legal Internship: Department of Economic Affairs
The Ministry of Finance, Government of India, through its Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), invited applications for its unpaid internship scheme.
For law students, the scheme included opportunities connected with financial sector policy and financial sector law. In particular, the Financial Sector Regulatory and Legal (FSRL) division and the Infra-Fin Section listed law-related areas for interns.
The internship scheme allowed selected interns to work with different divisions of the Department of Economic Affairs. Moreover, the scheme covered internships during the period from March to October, with a maximum internship period of 6 months.
Ministry of Finance Legal Internship – Key Details
| Particular | Details |
|---|---|
| Ministry | Ministry of Finance, Government of India |
| Department | Department of Economic Affairs |
| Internship Scheme | Unpaid Internship Scheme |
| Internship Cycle | 2026 |
| Law-Related Areas | Financial Sector Policy / Financial Sector Law |
| Relevant Divisions | FSRL and Infra-Fin Section |
| Internship Period | March–October |
| Maximum Duration | 6 Months |
| Location | New Delhi |
| Application Type | Internship application |
| Status of Notice | Historical / 2019 |
About the Ministry of Finance Internship Scheme
The Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) stated that it had a practice of engaging interns on an unpaid basis during March to October every year.
For the 2019 cycle, the Department invited applications for internships across several divisions. Candidates could indicate their preferred division based on their area of interest.
Furthermore, the memorandum specifically included opportunities relevant to students pursuing law and financial-sector-related studies.
Legal Internship Opportunities
The source lists two divisions with a direct connection to law.
1. Financial Sector Regulatory and Legal (FSRL)
The FSRL division sought interns preferably in the area of:
- Financial sector policy; or
- Financial sector law.
For this division, the document listed Ph.D./LL.M. as the course being pursued by the intern.
2. Infra-Fin Section
The Infra-Fin Section listed two areas of study:
- Law
- Economics
For the law stream, the document specified LL.M. – for 1st year.
For the economics stream, it listed MA Economics – for 2nd year.
Therefore, law students looking specifically for a financial-sector-focused government internship could consider the FSRL and Infra-Fin divisions mentioned in the memorandum.
Eligibility for the Law-Related Positions
The eligibility depended on the division and course.
For the FSRL division, the memorandum mentioned:
- Ph.D. candidates; and
- LL.M. candidates.
It also specified relevant prior academic exposure to Commerce, Economics or Finance, depending on the applicant’s programme.
For the Infra-Fin Section, the document listed first-year LL.M. students for the law-related internship.
Because the source is a historical 2019 memorandum, candidates should not assume that these eligibility conditions apply to any present-day Ministry of Finance internship.
Duration of the Internship
The Department of Economic Affairs stated that its internship practice operated during March to October.
The internship could run for a maximum period of 6 months.
However, the individual period for each division was not specified in the table for the law-related positions.
Stipend
The internship scheme was explicitly described as an unpaid internship scheme.
Therefore, the 2019 opportunity did not provide a stipend.
How Were Candidates Expected to Indicate Their Preferred Division?
The memorandum stated that selected applicants could be allocated to divisions according to their interests.
Therefore, applicants were advised to visit the Ministry of Finance website and indicate their preferred division in their application.
The memorandum referred to:
It also referred to the Department of Economic Affairs website:
Department of Economic Affairs
Important Contact Details in the Notice
The memorandum was issued by the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Government of India.
The notice listed:
Under Secretary to the Government of India: Ipsita Mitra
Telephone: +91-11-2309 2707
Email: mitra.ipsita@nic.in
The document also directed the NIC to upload the notice on the DEA website.
