July 2013 News 4 CABINET NOD FOR NATIONAL SKILL DEVELOPEMENT AGENCY

CABINET NOD FOR NATIONAL SKILL DEVELOPEMENT AGENCY

In an effort to give a single-point focus to skill development initiative, the government on May 9, 2013 cleared a proposal to set up a National Skill Development Agency (NSDA) subsuming
other bodies engaged in this initiative.
The Union Cabinet gave its nod to NSDA replacing the Prime Minister's National Council on Skill Development (PM-NCSD), the National Skill Development Coordination Board (NSDCB) and the office of the Adviser to the PM on Skill development.
According to a government statement the Agency will be located in the ministry of finance.

Cordinate and Harmonise

The new skill body will coordinate and harmonise the skill  development efforts of the government and the private sector to achieve the targets of the 12th plan and beyond.
It will also anchor and operationalise the National Skills  Qualifications Framework (NSQF) and be the nodal agency for sector skills councils and endeavour to bridge the social, regional,
gender and economic divides in skilling.
Further, it will also be empowered to raise extra budgetary resources. The Central Ministries and NSDC will continue to implement schemes in their remit, the statement said.
"The NSDA is expected to provide the much-needed single point focus to ensure that skilling quality and standards meet sector-specific requirements benchmarked to international standards. Such an initiative will boost employability of youth in India," the statement said.