People walk past the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) building in Mumbai, India, November 4, 2020. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas/File photo
Indian shares edged up on Tuesday, extending gains from a record high close in the previous session, as the government offered free COVID-19 vaccines to all adults, boosting sentiment as parts of the country ease restrictions.
The blue-chip NSE Nifty 50 index (.NSEI) rose 0.09% to 15,765.55 and the benchmark S&P BSE Sensex (.BSESN) was up 0.11% at 52,384.61 by 0352 GMT.
Both the indexes closed at a record high on Monday, bolstered by hopes that the economy would pick up as some states eased COVID-19 lockdowns.
India will provide free COVID-19 vaccines to all adults, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday after markets closed, in an effort to rein in a pandemic that has killed hundreds of thousands. read more
Technology stocks boosted the Nifty 50 index, with software services firms Infosys Ltd (INFY.NS) and Tata Consultancy Services Ltd (TCS.NS)rising 1.1% and 0.8%, respectively.
The Nifty IT index (.NIFTYIT) was up 1.1%, hitting a record high and leading gains among other subindexes.
Daily COVID-19 cases in India have been on a downward trend since early May, with data from the health ministry on Tuesday showing 86,498 infections in the last 24 hours, the lowest in 66 days. read more
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