New Delhi, Aug. 19 -- Indian indices Sensex and Nifty started on a positive note on Tuesday, building on the previous session's gains, as investor sentiment was boosted by hopes of goods and services tax (GST) reforms and signs of movement toward a Russia-Ukraine peace agreement.

At 9:49 am, the BSE Sensex was up 88 points, or 0.10 per cent, at 81,358, while the NSE Nifty 50 inched higher by 12 points, or 0.06 per cent, to 24,889. In the prior session on Monday, both indices had advanced nearly 1 per cent.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday, after discussions at the White House, that he is open to holding a direct meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in an effort to bring an end to the invasion of Ukraine.

"I c...