Patna, March 24: The number of Caesarean deliveries in private nursing homes is abnormally high - 23 per cent of the total number of deliveries - compared to just 1.3 per cent at government hospitals.

Bihar's health minister Tej Pratap Yadav confirmed the figures issued by the National Family Health Survey when BJP MLA Sanjay Saraogi quoted it in the Assembly today.

The minister, however, confined his reply to improving the infrastructure in government hospitals for institutionalised deliveries.

The BJP bench wanted the minister to announce steps to be taken against private nursing homes for exploiting patients with "forced Caesarean deliveries".

Speaker Vijay Kumar Choudhary, however, ruled out such an announcement.

"You cannot force people to visit government hospitals for deliveries and not private nursing homes. The only solution is strengthening the government hospitals and creating mass awareness," he said.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has a recommended rate of 10-15% for Cesarean deliveries. Up until 2010 the number of C-section births in India was 8.5%, well within the recommended level. According to the National Family Health Survey the yearly rate of increase in cesarean deliveries has been 16.7%, one of the highest in the world.

Tej Pratap, who had to answer several questions related to the health department, today made an attempt to reply the supplementary questions amid chiding of BJP leader Nand Kishore Yadav to the treasury bench that they were not allowing the minister to grow by intervening on his behalf in supplementary questions. A member is allowed to ask a supplementary question, with the permission of the Speaker, after the reply is obtained from the minister concerned.

Tej Pratap, over a period, has earned a bad name of trying to dodge the House on days when questions related to his department were asked.

In response to another question by Nitin Navin of the BJP on lack of blood available to patients in Bihar, the minister said the government would open six new blood banks and 50 blood storage houses in the state.

In response to another question by Arun Kumar Sinha of the BJP, Tej Pratap conceded that eye donations in Bihar was the lowest and that during 2015-16 only 64 donation declarations were submitted in the eye bank at Patna Medical College and Hospital.

Sinha wanted the minister to open eye banks in all medical colleges in Bihar. "I shall try," the minister responded.

No to home guards

Energy minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav in a reply to a question by Bhola Yadav of the RJD ruled out the possibility of giving salaries to home guards.

"The Bihar homeguards are guided by the Bihar Homeguards Act-1947. It is a voluntary organisation. The daily allowance we are giving is more than what many states give," the minister said turning down Yadav's plea that homeguards play a crucial role in policing in the state and the government should take a compassionate stand on their service conditions.

Hydro projects

Energy minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav conceded that the 13 hydro energy projects of Bihar were none functional.

"We have asked IIT-Roorkee to make a report on them. We will then announce a policy and try to revive them. The projects are old," the minister said.