New Delhi, April 3 -- India's manufacturing activity lost momentum in March, weighed down by softer demand growth, fierce competition and heightened uncertainty amid the West Asia conflict, according to the HSBC India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) released on Thursday. The seasonally adjusted manufacturing PMI slowed to 53.9 in March from 56.9 in February, marking the weakest expansion in nearly four years and slipping below its long-run average of 54.2. A reading above 50 indicates expansion from the previous month. The two largest sub-components of the PMI, new orders and output, rose at the slowest rates since mid-2022, with anecdotal evidence pointing to challenging market conditions, cost pressures and the US-Israel wa...