President Pranab Mukherjee today conferred the Niryat Shree and Niryat Bandhu Awards for the year 2010-11 in various categories at a function in New Delhi. 44 companies were given away Niryat Shree Awards and six others were honoured with Niryat Bandhu for their outstanding performance in the field of export. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Mukherjee said that exports play an important role in the country's economic growth. He said, exporters must ensure that their products are not only reasonably priced but also score high in terms of quality and durability.The President said that India has done reasonably well in all parameters of socio-economic activity and today it has become the third largest economy in the world in terms of purchasing power. Appreciating the export sector, Mr Mukherjee said, the average growth rate of exports during last decade has increased to 17.8 per cent ,which was 9.4 .per cent during 1992 to 2002.