Sensex gains, infra stocks lead

SENSEX-BHEL-POWER-FINANCE:Sensex gains infra stocks lead

The Sensex edged up on Wednesday as infrastructure stocks such as BHEL rose on hopes the government would push for investments in the sector after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has temporarily assumed the finance portfolio.

Bharat Heavy Electricals rose 0.55 percent.

State-run power sector lenders such as Power Finance Corp and Rural Electrification Corp rose after media reports of a tariff hike in New Delhi raised hopes utilities can meet their loan commitments.

The Sensex provisionally rose 0.36 percent to 16,967.76 points.

The Nifty rose 0.41 percent to 5,141.90 points.