RAS question
Which institution, established at Avikanagar (Tonk district) in Rajasthan, is the premier national research centre for sheep and wool improvement?
Correct answer: (B) Central Sheep and Wool Research Institute (CSWRI).
The Central Sheep and Wool Research Institute at Avikanagar in Tonk district is India's premier national research centre for sheep and wool improvement.
Explanation
The Central Sheep and Wool Research Institute, commonly identified as ICAR-CSWRI, is located at Avikanagar in Tonk district. The official ICAR institute profile gives its postal address as Avikanagar, District Tonk, Rajasthan, and describes its mandate as basic and applied research for improving sheep production, products processing and rabbit husbandry, along with technology dissemination for sheep productivity and management. It is not merely a welfare, marketing or teaching body, but a specialised research institute under ICAR. Its work on sheep breed improvement, wool quality and pasture management makes CSWRI the national-level answer for sheep and wool improvement in Rajasthan geography.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) The Central Wool Development Board is associated with wool development and grower welfare from Jodhpur, not with the Avikanagar research institute for sheep breeding and wool improvement.
- (C) The National Research Centre on Camel is located in Bikaner and is concerned with camel research, so it does not fit the Avikanagar sheep-and-wool clue.
- (D) Rajasthan University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences is a Bikaner-based veterinary education university, not the dedicated ICAR sheep and wool research centre at Avikanagar.
Concept
This tests Rajasthan's animal-husbandry research institutions, especially their locations and specialised mandates. It matters for RAS because the Avikanagar clue connects Rajasthan geography with livestock research and sheep-wool improvement.