• Benchmark indices hold on to gains
• Nifty up 1.1 percent at 9,484
• Nifty futures trade at a discount of 23 points
• Sensex up 1.1 percent at 32,460
• Nifty Bank up 0.7 percent at 20,819
• Nifty Midcap Index up 1.1 percent
• Nifty Smallcap Index up 1.3 percent
• India Volatility Index down 4.4 percent to 33.78
• All Sectoral Indices trade with gains
• Nifty Metals Index remains the top sectoral gainer; up 3.9 percent
• Nifty PSU Bank and Nifty Auto Index gain 2 percent each
• Hindalco is the top Nifty gainer; up 8 percent
• Asian Paints is the top Nifty laggard; down 2.6 percent
• 1,135 stocks on the NSE trade with gains while 547 trade with losses

The company has informed the exchanges on Tuesday that it has begun the production of coal in Odisha, four years after it received the allocation.

The Talabira II and III mines were allotted to the company in 2016 with a capacity of 20 million tonnes per annum.

The coal produced will be used to meet requirements of existing and future coal-fired power plants, as per the company.

Shares gained as much as 5.8 percent to Rs 45.5, snapping a four-day losing streak.

Shares of the agricultural and crop protection products manufacturer gained as much as 3.9 percent to Rs 243.80 after ICICI Direct initiated coverage on the stock with a buy rating and a price target of Rs 280.

ICICI Direct believes that the ECC merger will improve the group's return ratios as well as provide synergies, adding that the strong parental advantage helps improving its business outlook.

Shares are up for the third day in a row and have rebounded 61.4 percent from its 52-week low of Rs 151 on March 25, 2020.