The 50th Meeting (Phase I) of the National Skills Qualification Committee (NSQC) was held on 08 July 2026 under the chairpersonship of Smt. Debashree Mukherjee, Secretary of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and Chairperson of the National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET). Phase-II of this commemorative meeting is scheduled for 15 July 2026. The meeting was attended by Prof. (Dr.) Ashok Kumar Gaba, Executive Member of NCVET; Lt. Col. Vikram Singh Bhati, Director of NCVET; representatives from Central Ministries including Rural Development and Labour and Employment; Awarding Bodies; Sector Skill Councils; industry experts; and other stakeholders.
The committee deliberated on multiple agenda items including review and approval of Qualifications, National Occupational Standards (NOS), and Micro-Credentials (MCs); revision of qualification criteria; ratification of Qualifications approved through KaushalVerse; adoption of Qualifications by Awarding Bodies; extension of validity of Qualifications under Government schemes; and initiatives to integrate emerging technologies into the National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF). The committee also reviewed the Action Taken Report on previous meeting decisions.
A significant agenda item was the revision of qualification criteria for 25 Qualifications of the Telecom Sector Skill Council, following extensive stakeholder consultations with telecom industry representatives. The committee also considered proposals from the Healthcare Sector Skill Council, adoption and ratification of Qualifications from various Awarding Bodies, extension of Qualification validity under PMKVY 4.0, integration of Geospatial and Drone Policy Frameworks within NCVET, and enhancement of blended learning in NSQF-aligned Qualifications.
The committee reviewed 100 total submissions through the KaushalVerse Portal for NSQF alignment, comprising 78 Qualifications (33 new and 45 revised), 10 National Occupational Standards (8 new and 2 revised), and 12 Micro-Credentials. These submissions came from Awarding Bodies across diverse sectors including defense, infrastructure, logistics, healthcare, electronics, apparel, entrepreneurship, green jobs, water management, aviation, and rural development.
The SIDH–NCVET team demonstrated an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled tool developed to assist in identifying relevant Qualifications during the review process. The Chairperson directed that similar demonstrations be conducted for all NCVET-recognized Awarding Bodies to facilitate wider awareness and adoption, and advised that the AI-enabled solution be leveraged in the qualification submission and evaluation process starting from the next NSQC meeting.
Smt. Debashree Mukherjee emphasized that through MSDE's efforts and NCVET's regulatory framework, the skilling ecosystem must promote innovation, strengthen quality assurance, and remain aligned with industry requirements to build a globally competitive workforce. She highlighted the importance of leveraging digital platforms like KaushalVerse and emerging technologies including Artificial Intelligence to enhance efficiency, transparency, and responsiveness in the qualification approval ecosystem while equipping learners with future-ready competencies.