Biren Marandi, 21, a resident of Hirapur in Govindpur block, had to wait for five hours to register at the sub-regional employment exchange of Dhanbad in the unemployed-youth category.

“I arrived here for registration after it was announced in the JMM election manifesto of providing unemployment allowance up to Rs 5,000 to Rs 7,000 per month to unemployed youths,” said Marandi, a student of BCom (semester V) at Binod Bihari Mahto College-Balipur. “Since my farmer father died four years ago and my mother works as a farm labourer, we find it very difficult to manage funds for my education. I have high hopes of getting the unemployment allowance.”

He added: “If I get the unemployment allowance, it will help my family. My mother will be able to bear the education expenses of me and my sister. My sister studies in a private school at Govindpur.”

He said he was preparing for competitive exams for recruitment in railway, banks and other services.

Sanjay Kumar Yadav, 22, another registration applicant and a BA (third semester) student of RSP College, Jharia, said: “My father, Dasrath Yadav, somehow ekes out a living for my mother, my two younger brothers and me in an income of Rs 8,000 per month as a milkman. I face a lot of difficulty in procuring books and study materials for my graduation course and also to prepare for competitive examinations for jobs. I am here at the registration queue with the hope of getting the unemployment allowance that will help me prepare for the examinations.”

More than 300 applicants are turning up at the exchange every day since the formation of the new government in Jharkhand.

They all hope to get the unemployment allowance.

Chief minister Hemant Soren has also instructed officials to ensure registration of unemployed youths at job exchanges across the state.

The sudden rise in the number of applicants has put the existing staff at the Dhanbad employment exchange under stress because of limited work force and facilities.

Pratyush Shekhar, an employment officer at the sub-regional exchange in Dhanbad, said: “Though we have not received any information on providing unemployment allowance to anyone, we have been asked to carry out registrations of as many candidates as possible by organising camps at the block levels.

“We had only 21,000 registered candidates till the end of January but the number is rising by 300-400 candidates per day since January,” Shekhar added.

He said only 11 people are working at the exchange though the number of sanctioned posts is 46.