President Pranab Mukherjee has asked the Tourism Ministry and industry to focus on building of high quality tourism infrastructure in the country to take India its rightful place in the tourism map of the world. Addressing a gathering after presenting National Tourism Awards 2013-14 in New Delhi today, Mr Mukherjee said, tourism in India is an agent of development and an engine for economic growth and employment generation. <br/><br/>The President asked the tourism industry to reduce their electricity and water consumption and cut down waste generation. He also asked them to focus more on recycling. Mr Mukherjee lauded the efforts of Tourism Ministry for bringing initiatives like Hunar Se Rozgar Tak which has given social equity and employment to the weaker section of the society. <br/><br/>Speaking on the occasion Tourism Minister Dr Mahesh Sharma said, tourism gives an opportunity to understand civilization and culture. He said, tourism earns 1 lakh 23 thousand crore of foreign exchange and contributes 6.8 per cent to the GDP of the country. Dr Sharma said, E-tourist visa extension to 113 countries is a major step to boost tourism industry. <br/><br/>On the occasion, the President honoured states and tourism organisations with National Tourism Awards. Gujarat stands first in the category of Comprehensive Development of Tourism while Madhya Pradesh got the second prize. Rajasthan awarded third price in the same category. <br/><br/>The National Tourism Awards are given annually to felicitate outstanding work both in the public sector and the private sector under different fields associated with tourism.