• It is a statutory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change constituted under enabling provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, as amended in 2006, for strengthening tiger conservation, as per powers and functions assigned to it under the said Act.
• The National Tiger Conservation Authority is set up under the Chairmanship of the Minister for Environment and Forests.
• The Authority will have eight experts or professionals having qualifications and experience in wildlife conservation and welfare of people including tribals, apart from three Members of Parliament of whom two will be elected by the House of the People and one by the Council of States. 
• The Inspector General of Forests, in charge of project Tiger, will be ex-officio Member Secretary.

Objective of the NTCA:

• Providing statutory authority to Project Tiger so that compliance of its directives become legal.

• Fostering accountability of Center-State in management of Tiger Reserves, by providing a basis for MoU with States within our federal structure.

• Providing for an oversight by Parliament.

• Addressing livelihood interests of local people in areas surrounding Tiger Reserves.

Power and Functions of the NTCA:

• to approve the tiger conservation plan prepared by the State Government under sub-section (3) of section 38V of this Act;

• evaluate and assess various aspects of sustainable ecology and disallow any ecologically unsustainable land use such as, mining, industry and other projects within the tiger reserves;

• provide for management focus and measures for addressing conflicts of  men and wild animal and to emphasize on co-existence in forest areas outside the National Parks, sanctuaries or tiger reserve, in the working plan code;

• provide information on protection measures including future conservation plan, estimation of population of tiger and its natural prey species, status of habitats, disease surveillance, mortality survey, patrolling, reports on untoward happenings and such other management aspects as it may deem fit including future plan conservation;

• ensure critical support including scientific, information technology and legal support for better implementation of the tiger conservation plan;

• facilitate ongoing capacity building programme for skill development of officers and staff of tiger reserves.