Jharkhand has registered about four time rise in tourist inflow since its creation in 2000, Tourism Minister Bimala Pradhan said on Friday. "The tourist figure was only 57 lakh when the state was created on November 15, 2000. As per a survey by 'Market Plus' agency in 2009/10 it has increased to 257 lakh, a mammoth growth, particularly with religious places attracting the maximum," Pradhan told a news conference. 

Above 17,000 foreign tourists visited the state last year, the minister said. A Rs 20 crore project has also been launched to train 100 students in hotel management and give them jobs in various hotels in the state. 

The state has taken several initiatives in developing religious places like Deogarh, Parasnath, Rajarappa and Basukinath Temple in Dumka, she added. The department has also proposed to develop Tagore Hills and Jagganath Temple in Ranchi and a 20-room high-end tourist complex at Netarhat to lure more tourists, she said.