The National Skill Development Agency (NSDA) is an autonomous body under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Government of India, which coordinates and harmonizes the skill development efforts of the Indian government and the private sector to achieve the skilling targets of the 12th Plan document and beyond. The NSDA plays a pivotal role in bridging the social, regional, gender and economic divide by ensuring that the skilling needs of the disadvantaged and marginalized groups like SCs, STs, OBCs, minorities, women and differently-abled persons are taken care of through the various skill development programmes and also by taking affirmative actions as part of advocacy. The Central Ministries and NSDC continue to implement schemes in their remit. The NSDA's role is also to anchor the National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) and facilitate the setting up of professional certifying bodies in addition to the existing ones.
The NSDA came into existence on 6 June 2013 through a gazette notification. It subsumed the Prime Minister’s National Council on Skill Development (PMNCSD), the National Skill Development Coordination Board (NSDCB) and the Office of the Adviser to PM on Skill Development.
The NSDA will discharge the following functions: