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Goats remain an important and instant source of income as well as livelihood for the majority (70-90 %) of small and marginal farmers in India. Goats are the animals with multiple utility like milk, meat, hide, fibre and manure. They are more tolerant to harsh environment (better resistance to heat stress and drought, better utilization and digestibility of pastures) and give more production per unit investment. Goats are spontaneously ovulating, poly-estrous animals and show seasonal pattern in reproductive activity related to the annual variations of photoperiod. Onset and length of their breeding period throughout the year is dependent on different environmental and physiological factors viz. latitude and climate, feed and fodder availability, breed and breeding system. This in turn affects round the year availability of meat and milk to full fill the market demands. When kids are born out of season, adequate supply of pastures along with good management practices must be ensured in order to minimize kid’s mortality and promote their optimum growth.

The selection of breeding bucks in relation to maximizing the reproductive efficiency depends upon males. AI permits intense selection of sires with exceptional merits and provides opportunity to exploit the value of superior sires. Young males can be trained for exhibiting sexual behaviors and semen collection through the uses of male, anoestrus doe or oestrus doe as dummy. Successful AI depends on precise management of semen collection, its frequency and use. The semen collection implies mounting a teaser doe or a dummy. Artificial vagina (AV) and electro-ejaculator (EE) are the two methods for semen collection in bucks. AV method is being used as universal method for routine semen collection whereas electro-ejaculation is generally used for collecting semen from untrained and valuable sires incapable of service. Moreover, this method of collection is painful for the animals. Semen evaluation should be rapid and effective so that collected semen samples can be processed for initial quality which ultimately affects the fertility. There are several tests for the assessment of semen quality but no single test is reliable to give definite prediction of the fertility.

Artificial Insemination (AI) is one of the most popular first generation assisted reproductive technology as well as a breeding tool, ever evolved for the genetic improvement of cattle and buffalo industry throughout the world. The advent of frozen semen has further revolutionized this technique. Presently, use of sex- sorted-semen in cattle breeding is also coming into vogue. Contrary to cattle and buffalo, use of AI in small ruminants has not gained such impetus.

It has been reported that lower pregnancy rates were obtained when ewes and does are bred with frozen or extended liquid semen using intra-vaginal or intracervical technique of insemination. The reason being anatomy of the cervix of sheep and goats; cervix is long and tortuous with presence of 4-7 cervical rings. Furthermore, these cervical rings are directed caudally hindering the lumen of the cervix thereby causing hindrance (more prominent in sheep) while passing the AI gun during intra-cervical or trans-cervical AI (TCAI). There are several reports which support the fact that, as the depth of semen deposition into the cervix increases, the pregnancy rates also improve due to availability of a greater number of motile sperms for fertilization.

An early and accurate diagnosis of pregnancy is a crucial factor for successful management and maintaining cost-effective production in scientific goat production for better economic returns. In addition, accurate information on the stage of gestation would also be useful to dry off lactating females at an adequate period. The techniques for pregnancy diagnosis in goats are mostly depend upon visualization of the conceptus or determination of its secretory products in the maternal blood or the milk are the most defined and specific methods for pregnancy. The choice of pregnancy diagnosis method in goats depends on the stage of gestation. Some methods have a higher degree of accuracy at the early gestation while others do at the late stage of gestation. Assessment of pregnancy in terms of hormonal assay of blood plasma, serum, or milk, and estimation of pregnancy-specific antigens or proteins give a higher level of accuracy within 30 days of pregnancy. There are many methods that are currently being used for pregnancy diagnosis in goats. Among those, the method applied should be safe for both offspring and mother and need to be low-cost and easy to apply. Various techniques have different kinds of limitations to their wide-scale use. These techniques are classified into 3 classes, which are as follows:

Artificial Insemination is a very important tool that caters to propagation of high-quality germplasm and breed improvement. It is also economical as it aids in breeding without the necessary to maintain the adult bucks cutting the input cost. However, the bucks maintained for production of semen and AI should be free of any diseases and in specifically venereal diseases. Venereal diseases are not so uncommon in livestock, and they cause a variety of symptoms including orchitis, abortions, still birth, vulvovaginitis etc., leading to infertility in breeding animals. Venereal diseases are infectious in nature and they are transmitted mainly through semen, feed-water, AI gun, artificial vagina, fomites etc. Due to venereal diseases, infertility, orchitis, epididymitis, vasculitis etc. occurs in bucks and leads to abortions and still birth in does (Ahmed et al, 2010; Beena et al, 2017), because they are directly linked with the economic output (Sharma et al, 2008; Azawi et al, 2010) and overall health of the animal affecting the productivity significantly (Menzies, 2011). To keep abortions and other venereal diseases at bay, it is important to raise disease free breeding bucks that deliver clean-semen for natural service or AI operation. Abortion rate between 2 to 5% indicates its endemic nature and abortion level exceeding 5% requires aggressive investigation (Menzies, 2011). Infectious agents that include viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites etc.; as well as noninfectious cause can lead to infertility in goats (Moeller, 2001; Szeredi et al, 2006; Smith and Sherman, 2009). Many infectious causes are known to mankind that leads to trans-venereal diseases in goats including Brucella melitensis, Chlamydiosis, Campylobacter spp., Listeria monocytogenes, Toxoplasmosis, Coxiella burnetii etc. There are numerous viruses such as

The major requirement that distinguishes frozen semen/IVF laboratory from other laboratories is the need to maintain aseptic conditions. The wash up and sterilization of media and other equipments should be located at one end of the room and clean area for sterilize handling at the other end, and preparation, storage and incubation in between. The storage and incubation area should be near to the sterile working area.

In recent years, the introduction of laminar flow cabinets has been a great boon in providing a sterile working area and allows the use of unspecialized laboratory accommodation for culture work. For sterile work, area should be in a quiet part of the laboratory preferably in a cubicle where a laminar flow cabinet is suitably fitted. The area should be free from dust or draughts. Nothing should be stored on the laminar flow cabinet or bench used for sterile handling except most necessary equipments like holding pipettes etc. The laminar flow cabinets provide sterile air blown over the work surface. For laboratory, a horizontal laminar flow is more preferable as opposed to a vertical one because of ease of handling the ovaries etc. If an air curtain is provided at the door of the cabinet, introduction of dust etc. can be avoided. In India laminar flow are manufactured by companies like Clenzoids, Yorco etc, among others. The laminar flow size should be a minimum of 300 X 300 or 450 X 450 mm with a 12-18 in, square filter size).

The successful AI program depends on the health of the semen donors followed by hygiene in semen collection, processing, storage and AI methods as well as reproductive health of the females. However, the microbial contamination may not be able to avoid completely but it can be reduced to the minimum threshold level by adopting hygienic procedures.

The hygienic condition of the neat / frozen semen samples can be assessed periodically by enumerating the bacterial load apart from the periodical screening of bucks for the presence of various causative agents in animals and its transfer to the females via semen samples.

Though both viable and total (viable and nonviable) bacterial counts can be done, the viable techniques are more commonly used in diagnostic and food hygiene procedures. The viable bacteria are capable of multiplication with the production of visible colonies on or in agar media. In viable techniques, the assumption is made that one well-spaced bacterial cell gives rise to one colony. The bacterial colonies, rather than bacterial cells, are counted in these techniques. Among the viable counting techniques like Spread plate, Pour plate, Miles, Misra, Filtration are available and each has its own inherent errors, the pour plate counting method is explained as follows:

Learning outcome

The purpose is to enable the student to develop deeper knowledge understanding capabilities and attitudes in the context of group discussion.

What is the group?

A social group is a unit of two or more person in the reciprocal interaction of communication with each other.

Stages of Group Formation

Bruce Tuckman presented a model of five stages.

Orientation (Forming Stage)

During this stage, group members come together and begin to establish relationships with each other. They also clarify their goals and objectives for the group.

Power Struggle (Storming Stage)

As the group begins to work together, conflicts and differences in opinions may arise. This stage is characterized by power struggles, disagreements, and a lack of cohesion among group members.

Cooperation and Integration (Norming Stage)

In this stage, the group begins to resolve conflicts and work towards a common goal. Members begin to cooperate with each other, establish norms and rules, and develop a sense of unity.

Learning outcome

The purpose is to enable the student to develop deeper knowledge understanding capabilities and attitudes in the context of preparation of extension literature.

Extension materials are straightforward messages that encourage, educate, and improve farmers’ understanding of an innovative, proven technology. Therefore, extension materials must encourage awareness and highlight the benefits and effective application of innovative technologies. Orally or through bulletins/brochures, fact sheets, posters, radio dramas, and videos, extension materials can suggest innovative technologies. Literature is the foundation of any instructional programme. Extension materials must persuade individuals to alter their behaviour.

Learning outcomes

1. To make student aware about proper procedure of conducting oral and poster presentation and to develop their skill in delivering effective presentation.

What is presentation?

• Presentation is the process of demonstrating and conveying a topic’s information to an audience or learner.
• Presentation may be customised for speaking to a group, addressing a meeting, or briefing a team.

Making oral presentations is nothing new for anyone, but there is still a lot of room for growth. An oral presentation is more than simply delivering the relevant technical information and using the perfect language. Public speaking is an address delivered at an anniversary or inauguration to encourage, congratulate, or amuse the audience.

Learning Objectives

1. To evaluation of actual functioning of the District Rural Development Agency (DRDAs)
2. Guidelines for implementation of the various Rural Development Programmes.

Theory/Principle/Background of the topic

District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) is the district-level entity that oversees Ministry of Rural Development anti-poverty programmes. This organisation was initially founded to execute the Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP).

DRDAs were later given state and central government programmes. DRDA’s job is to identify rural needs and implement relevant programmes has a technical, administrative, and financial role in scheme implementation. DRDA disburses cash for programmes and offers management and technical assistance.

Learning outcomes

• To understand national and international NGOs and their functioning.
• NGO types and rules governing them.

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs), as the name suggests, are free from the government in its functioning. NGOs are groups or organisations of voluntary persons who do not represent any government action, and their members and associated persons manage all the functions. These numbers work as per the rules and regulations prescribed by the government, but they are independent of governmental control.

Learning outcomes

• understand the functioning of community radio in dissemination of from technology.

Introduction

Radio is the oldest type of media, and via radio the information revolution saw the green revolution. Farmers listen to the radio for weather, market price, and pestilence updates. Government began to encourage citizens by establishing radio rural forums (RRF). The primary purpose of a rural radio forum is to discuss and act. Here, a group of twenty individuals debate cultivation-related concerns and provide questions for the subsequent Radio rural forum. This allowed radio forum to get widespread popularity.

Learning outcome

• To learn writing for print media such as newspaper, magazine, books.
• To have in knowledge about script writing in electronic medium such as using mobile apps- LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and Podcast

What is Print Media?

It’s a sort of mass media that publishes news and information. Print media is the oldest way to reach a large audience. It exclusively distributes information in physical copy

Books, magazines, and newspapers are popular print media. These may consist of chapters or themes, pictures, advertising, printed journals, pamphlets and so on. Print media cannot do live reporting, discussions, or shows.

Learning outcomes

• You should know how to make an audio or video script.
• Describe the differences between the different kinds of programmes.
• Examine the different script development stages. Before we start, please complete the following activity.

Reflect on the programmes you watch on TV or any other programme using Over the top (OTT) platforms like amazon, prime video, Netflix etc. How many of it you classify as

1. Entertainment
2. Educational
3. Informational

1.0. Objectives

• To study the elements of the sentence and its order in that
• To identify elements of the sentence and observe the changing of words’ order in that
• To teach to label elements used in the sentence
• To teach that every language has its conventions for word order

2.0. Grammatical Units

To know any language knowledge of its grammar is highly required. As it is set of structural rules governing the composition of clauses, phrases and words in a language. On the basis of function, words’ categories are described. Utterance, morpheme, words, phrases, clauses and sentences in language are called grammatical units. Here few lines are given below following the description of grammatical units used.

1.0. Objectives

• To make out the definition of verb and its kinds
• To enable the students to show the correct usage of verbs
• To train learners to identify appropriate verbs for subjects
• To practise to use different types of verbs suitable, in sentence, to express the intension

2.0 What is a Verb

“A verb is a word that implies an action, state of being”. It is a very important part of a sentence as it operates sentences in particular tense. It is called the soul of the English language.

3.0 Kinds of Verb

To understand the kinds of the verb see the chart given below-

1.0. Objectives

• To impart the concept of word formation
• To train to use and change words in various category
• To provide the knowledge of affixation, conversion and compounding

2.0. Word Formation

The term ‘word formation’ does not impart an exact, universally endorsed usage. It focuses on all processes associated to changing the form of the word by, for example, affixation basically refers to morphology. In broad sense word formation depicts the processes of forming new lexical units. These changes can be noticed and understood easily, sometimes it becomes complex too.

1.0. Objectives

• To increase communication skills of learners
• To enable to develop of genuine and original dialogue in various situations
• To inculcate the habit to handle an unknown situation
• To polish behaviou in line of dialogue

2.0. Situational Dialogues and Role Play blend together

They are introduced to generating speech among the students. Taking one situation, one has to write dialogues. Dialogue is nothing other than writing a conversation between two persons or more than two persons in a particular situation. One person has to take a situation and create characters and feel as other characters and build a dialogue.

1.0. Objectives

• To make implication of report writing
• To impart knowledge of different techniques of report writing
• To make out the methods to remove hurdles trying in way of transmitting the information

2.0. Characteristics of a Report

1. Accuracy: An Effective report reflects their purpose. While putting together a report, your investigation, analysis, and recommendations should be directed by this central purpose. Precision gives unity and coherence to your report and makes it a valuable document.