​​​​​​​51st Meeting of the National Skills Qualification Committee (NSQC) held on 14–15 October 2026

The 51st meeting of the National Skills Qualification Committee (NSQC), under the National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET), was held in two phases on 14 and 15 October 2026 under the Chairpersonship of Smt. Debashree Mukherjee, Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and Chairperson, National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET). The meeting considered key matters relating to quality assurance in vocational education and training, adoption and validity of qualifications, and alignment of qualifications with the National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF).

The meeting was attended by Shri Niranjan Kumar Sudhansu, Addl Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Executive Member, NCVET, Prof. (Dr.) Ashok Kumar Gaba, Executive Member, NCVET; Dr. Sandipann Narote, Director Qualifications, NCVET; members of the NSQC representing Central Ministries and Departments such as Ministry of Rural Development, Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises, Directorate General of Training; representatives of Awarding Bodies such as Board of Secondary Education, Andhra Pradesh; APEX University; State Board of Technical Education and Training (SBTET), Andhra Pradesh; Additional Skills Acquisition Programme (ASAP), Kerala; National Academy of RUDSETI; Labornet Livelihood Foundation; Orion Education Society; Divya Yog Mandir Trust; and Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), and many more, industry experts and other key stakeholders.

A key item was the review of qualifications in the caregiving domain, following earlier directions to examine possible overlap across qualifications. The agenda placed an AI-based content-mapping report prepared with support from the Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH) AI team before the Committee. Stakeholder consultations had recommended assessing overlap on the basis of core competencies, occupational functions, target beneficiary groups, work environment, scope of practice, sector/domain, qualification level and actual qualification content. AI-based matching was proposed as a supporting input, alongside qualification-wise expert scrutiny.

The Committee also considered 156 submissions for NSQF alignment and approval through the KaushalVerse portal. These comprised 108 qualifications (60 new and 48 revised), 25 National Occupational Standards (NOSs) (24 new and one revised), and 23 new micro-credentials. The submissions covered a range of sectors and awarding bodies, reflecting the continuing work to keep the national skills qualification ecosystem responsive to changing industry and learner requirements.

Other agenda items included proposals for ratification of the adoption of qualifications by awarding bodies, ratification of qualifications and NOSs granted on-file or urgent approval through KaushalVerse, and requests concerning qualification validity and notional hours/on-the-job training.

An additional agenda item placed before the Committee concerned the Indian Army’s request for interim extension of validity of 110 qualifications in the Defence sector. The request noted that the qualifications continued to be operational in the skilling ecosystem and that their expiry was creating operational challenges. The matter was placed for the Committee’s consideration.

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SH