Sensex breaches 19,000; select blue-chips gain

Reuters Market Eye - The 50-share Nifty is up 0.7 percent, while the benchmark Sensex is 0.8 percent higher, heading for its fourth consecutive session of gains.

The BSE Sensex breached the 19,000 mark for the first time in two weeks.

Finance Minister P. Chidambaram on Monday reiterated the government's commitment to additional economic reforms during a news conference in Tokyo, but investors remained concerned about political stability after the withdrawal of a key ally from the ruling coalition last month.

Larsen & Toubro rose after the company said its construction division secured new orders valued over 37 billion rupees across various business segments in March.

Maruti Suzuki rose 1.9 percent after reporting a lower-than-expected fall in March vehicle sales.

However, Tata Motors shares fell 1.5 percent a day after the company said its March passenger vehicle sales fell 27.6 percent.

(Reporting by Manoj Dharra)