New Delhi, Sep 2 (PTI) An RTI query on how many people in Bihar changed their date of birth in Aadhaar records after the then Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced a major pension hike ahead of the 2025 assembly election has found that the Aadhaar authority did not maintain separate data on such changes.

In June 2025, Kumar announced that the monthly pension for elderly citizens, persons with disabilities and widowed women under the Social Security Pension Scheme would be increased from Rs 400 to Rs 1,100 from July 2025.

The applicant sought the total number of Aadhaar holders in Bihar who updated their date of birth after the pension hike announcement, along with month-wise and district-wise details of such changes.

The RTI also asked whether the authority had conducted any internal review or flagged unusual patterns in DOB updates following the revision.

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), which maintains the Aadhaar system, initially said the information sought was not covered under the RTI Act.

However, in the first appeal, the authority clarified that "no such information" was available for the questions relating to the number and breakup of DOB changes, while the query on internal review was stated to be "not applicable".

During the hearing before the Central Information Commission (CIC), the authority said it did not maintain separate data on Aadhaar holders who had updated their DOB after the pension enhancement announcement.

It also said no month-wise or district-wise compilation of such updates was available.

The authority further submitted that no internal review or flagging of unusual patterns, as referred to in the RTI, was applicable or available in its records.

The CIC said the RTI Act does not require a public authority to create, compile or generate information that is not maintained in its records in the form sought by an applicant.

Information Commissioner P R Ramesh, however, observed that the CPIO's initial response, saying the information was not covered under the RTI Act, was "not appropriate". PTI MHS RT