The BSE benchmark Sensex gained 81 points in early trade today on sustained buying by funds and retailers. The 30-share barometer, which had gained 34 points in the previous session on Friday, added 81 points to 17,772.Similarly, the wide-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty moved up by 21 points to 5,387.Brokers said trading sentiment buoyed after Finance Minister P Chidambaram asked banks to cut interest rates and keep EMIs at affordable levels to encourage sale of consumer durables to restart the engine of manufacturing.In Asia, Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose by 0.03 per cent, while the Japan's Nikkei by 0.10 per cent in early trade today.The US Dow Jones Industrial Average, however, ended 0.03 per cent lower in yesterday's trade.