ICAR AIEEA PG Animal Sciences 14 July 2023 (Shift 1) Paper

Livestock ownership and rural income dynamics:

• In rural India, livestock rearing is an integral livelihood activity; approximately $73\%$ of rural households own some species of livestock (cattle, buffalo, goats, sheep, or poultry). Thus, Statement (I) is correct.
• Dairy farming and commercial layer poultry farming generate milk and eggs every single day, providing small and marginal farmers with regular daily or weekly liquidity/income compared to seasonal crop harvesting. Thus, Statement (II) is correct.
  
  Option analysis:
• Both statements are factually correct (Key 1).
• Incorrect since both statements are true.
• and (D) Option 4: Incorrect.

Findings of the 20th Livestock Census (2019 vs 2012):

• Pig population: Decreased from $10.29\text{ million}$ (2012) to $9.06\text{ million}$ (2019), representing a decrease of $12.03\%$ (not an increase). Therefore, Statement (I) is incorrect.
• Poultry population: Increased from $729.2\text{ million}$ (2012) to $851.81\text{ million}$ (2019), representing an increase of $16.81\% \approx 17\%$ (not a decrease). Therefore, Statement (II) is incorrect.
  
  Option analysis:
  Both Statement (I) and Statement (II) reversed the census trends (reported decrease as increase and vice versa). Thus, both statements are incorrect (Key 2).

Luxury animal fibres in India:

• Pashmina (Cashmere): Fine undercoat fibre harvested from high-altitude Capra hircus goats, mainly the Changthangi (Pashmina goat) of Ladakh and the Chegu goat of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Statement (I) is correct.
• Angora rabbit hair: Highly prized for its extraordinary fineness, low density, and high thermal insulation. Reared in temperate hilly regions of HP, Uttarakhand, and J&K. Because of its slickness and high cost, it is commonly blended and spun with fine sheep wool for manufacturing luxury shawls and knitwear. Statement (II) is correct.
  
  Option analysis:
  Both Statement (I) and Statement (II) are correct, making Option 1 the correct answer.

Breed registration mechanism in India:

• In $2008$, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi established a formal mechanism for the registration of indigenous animal genetic resources.
• The ICAR designated the ICAR-National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR), Karnal as the Nodal Agency to identify, evaluate, validate, and register newly discovered breeds of livestock and poultry in India.
• The Breed Registration Committee headed by Deputy Director General (Animal Science), ICAR approves official registration and accession numbers.
  
  Option analysis:
• Animal Husbandry Commissioner is part of DADF, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying.
• UGC deals with higher education funding.
• IVRI is a premier veterinary research institute.
• ICAR, New Delhi is the apex body that made NBAGR the nodal agency (Key 4).

Definitions in animal breeding and judging:

• Type: An ideal or standard of perfection combining all the characteristics which contribute to an animal's usefulness for a specific purpose (e.g. dairy type, beef type, draught type, mutton type).
• Strain: A group of animals within a breed that are more closely related to each other than to other members of the breed.
• Conformation: The physical form, shape, and structural arrangement of the body parts of an animal.
• Race: A broad biological classification of living organisms.
  
  Option analysis:
• Strain refers to a sub-population within a breed.
• Type is the exact technical definition given in the question (Key 2).
• Race is a broader zoological grouping.
• Conformation refers strictly to the external physical structure.