New Delhi (PTI): Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue of jobs, claiming that 30 lakh posts are vacant in various government departments but the PM distributed just 75,000 appointment letters.

His attack came over a media report which claimed that 1,600 posts are vacant in central secretariat services.

"PM Modi promised 2 Cr Jobs, per year. In 8 years, 16 Cr Jobs should have been created. More than 30 Lakh posts are vacant in various Govt departments. But PM Modi distributed just 75,000 odd applications," Kharge said in a tweet.

"1,600 posts vacant under Central Secretariat, directly under PMO. Why?" he said.

Last month, Prime Minister Modi launched a "Rozgar Mela" and underscored his government's efforts to create jobs in the last eight years.

More than 75,000 people were given appointment letters for various government jobs in the first tranche.

The Congress has been attacking the government over alleged lack of jobs for the youth and rising unemployment.

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Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh) (PTI): Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said that an individual can become a sarpanch, municipal councillor or a mayor only if he/she has more than two children, hinting that it will arrest the falling population.

Naidu said he will bring out policies to encourage people to have more children.

"At one time, individuals with many children were not allowed to contest the panchayat (election) or local bodies. Now what I am saying is that individuals with lower numbers of children cannot contest. You will be a sarpanch, municipal councillor, corporation chairman or a mayor only if you have more than two children," he told reporters in Naravaripalle here recently.

According to the CM, North India may lose its advantage of having a stable fertility rate in about 15 years.

The TDP supremo noted that the older generations had more children, while the current generation brought it down to one child and also highlighted that some 'smart' people nowadays are going for double income no kids (DINK) concept to enjoy.

"Your parents bore four to five children and you reduced it to one. Even smarter people now are saying double income no kids let us enjoy. If their parents had thought like them, they would not have come into this world," he said.

All countries made this mistake, and we have to make the decision at the right time, said Naidu, adding that the importance of having more children was not stressed and the situation went out of hand.

Citing countries like South Korea and Japan and continental Europe, he said people in those places did not realise the danger of plummeting populations but only focused on creating wealth, raising income and taking those countries forward.

"Now they need people, we have to send them. We came to that situation," Naidu added.

Early this month, Naidu flagged the falling birthrates and said India should not repeat the mistakes committed by other countries such as South Korea and Japan, where birthrates have plummeted.

The CM said some couples are averse to having children nowadays because they do not want to share the money they earned and use those riches for their own enjoyment.

Naidu, in October last year, said there was a need to manage the population in Andhra Pradesh given that there will be an increase in the aging population.

"Till 2047, we will have the demographic dividend, there will be more youngsters. After 2047, there will be more old people…if less than two children are given birth (per woman), then the population will reduce. If you (each woman) give birth to more than two children, then the population will increase," Naidu had said.