Assessing Role Performance of Lay Inseminators in Karnal district of Haryana: Principal Component Analysis Approach

Abstract

On the one hand, there is an acute shortage of veterinarians and para-veterinarians in India, whereas on the other hand, demand for quality services as well as the area covered by the Veterinary Assistant Surgeons (VASs) of Animal Husbandry Department (AHD) is increasing.  There is an urgent need to rationalize these two contrasting realities.  In this context, the role of the Lay Inseminators (LIs) had been assessed to know their role performance in the purposively selected Karnal district of Haryana and whether LIs could become the extended arms of present veterinary services or not. Role performance was quantified by three different approaches namely Self-rating, Beneficiaries-rating and Professionals-rating approach. Pretested interview schedule was used to collect data from 30 LIs, 150 dairy farmer vis-à-vis beneficiaries (5 beneficiaries per Lay Inseminator) and 15 Professionals. It was found that majority of the Lay Inseminators were average role performer and according to self-rating most preferred area was found to be animal breeding and least preferred area was extension activities but according to beneficiaries-rating and professionals-rating, the most preferred area was animal health-care. Through ‘Principal Component Analysis (PCA)’ it was also ascertained that the first component (PC 1) explains maximum per cent variance and was comprised of experience, timeliness of availability of inputs, cosmopolite and self-perception. So, in case of dearth of fund these four sub-components should be given priority to enhance role performance among LIs. The results of ‘weightage assigning methodology’ revealed that timeliness of availability of inputs; herd- size and self-perception had the maximum weightage respectively among all the 16 selected variables. So, if government of India wants to scale new heights in animal health services than lay inseminators (LIs) should be given due recognition as lay health counsellors have already justified their worthiness in medical science sector. But at the same time LIs should be under close supervision of specialists like veterinarian and para-veterinarian in order to avoid any casualty at the farm level. Even the role of LIs should be specified and well defined in order to avoid any role conflict. But, at the same time there is need for role clarity among the veterinarian, para-veterinarian and LIs.