Key gauges remain in green in morning deals

Indian equity benchmarks continued to trade higher in morning deal, buoyed by positive global cues as well as the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) bumper monetary policy measures. Traders took support with the government stating that India's agricultural sector has undergone a profound transformation over the past 11 years through various government schemes and increased budgetary allocations, empowering farmers to lead the nation from food security to global food leadership. Some support also came with Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal’s statement that India is receiving FDI inflows from 112 countries compared to 89 in 2013-14, underscoring the country's rising global appeal. He said the government is committed to making India the world's most preferred investment destination. On the global front, Asian markets are trading higher with the US and China set to resume trade negotiations, while positive jobs data in the world’s largest economy eased recession fears. 

The BSE Sensex is currently trading at 82566.97, up by 377.98 points or 0.46% after trading in a range of 82434.77 and 82669.00. There were 23 stocks advancing against 7 stocks declining on the index.

The broader indices were trading in green; the BSE Mid cap index rose 0.89%, while Small cap index was up by 0.93%.

The top gaining sectoral indices on the BSE were IT up by 1.09%, PSU up by 0.98%, Bankex up by 0.95%, Power up by 0.90% and Utilities up by 0.86%, while Realty down by 0.43% was the lone losing index on BSE.

The top gainers on the Sensex were Bajaj Finance up by 3.19%, Kotak Mahindra Bank up by 2.96%, Bajaj Finserv up by 2.46%, Axis Bank up by 2.39% and Trent up by 1.60%. On the flip side, ICICI Bank down by 0.71%, Bharti Airtel down by 0.69%, Titan Company down by 0.48%, Sun Pharma down by 0.31% and Adani Ports &SEZ down by 0.22% were the top losers.

Meanwhile, the government has said that India's agricultural sector has undergone a profound transformation over the past 11 years through various government schemes and increased budgetary allocations, empowering farmers to lead the nation from food security to global food leadership. The transformation has focused on inclusivity by supporting small farmers, women-led groups and allied sectors while positioning India as a global agricultural leader.

Further, it stated budget estimates for the Department of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare have risen from Rs 27,663 crore in 2013-14 to Rs 1,37,664.35 crore in 2024-25, an increase of nearly five times. India's foodgrain production grew from 265.05 million tonnes in 2014-15 to an estimated 347.44 million tonnes in 2024-25, showing strong growth in agricultural output.

Besides, the government has also increased minimum support prices (MSP) significantly. MSP for wheat rose from Rs 1,400 per quintal in 2013-14 to Rs 2,425 per quintal in 2024-25, while paddy prices increased from Rs 1,310 per quintal in 2013-14 to Rs 2,369 per quintal in 2025-26. Moreover, under the PM-KISAN scheme launched in February 2019, the government has disbursed Rs 3.7 lakh crore to more than 110 million farmers.

The Kisan Credit Card scheme has provided about Rs 10 lakh crore in credit to 7.71 crore farmers.

The CNX Nifty is currently trading at 25121.65, up by 118.60 points or 0.47% after trading in a range of 25077.15 and 25160.10. There were 33 stocks advancing against 17 stocks declining on the index.

The top gainers on Nifty were Bajaj Finance up by 3.20%, Kotak Mahindra Bank up by 2.88%, Axis Bank up by 2.49%, Bajaj Finserv up by 2.41% and JIO Financial Services up by 2.26%. On the flip side, Bharti Airtel down by 0.77%, ICICI Bank down by 0.76%, Apollo Hospital Ent. down by 0.68%, HDFC Life Insurance down by 0.66% and Dr. Reddy's Lab down by 0.49% were the top losers.

Asian markets are trading higher; Nikkei 225 surged 368.37 points or 0.98% to 38,109.98, Taiwan Weighted added 115.64 points or 0.53% to 21,776.30, Hang Seng advanced 240.87 points or 1% to 24,033.41, KOSPI increased 40.00 points or 1.42% to 2,852.05, Straits Times rose 6.59 points or 0.17% to 3,940.88 and Shanghai Composite strengthened 7.9 points or 0.23% to 3,393.26.