new delhi, May 5 -- After losing some momentum in March due to the West Asia conflict, growth across India's private sector expanded at a quicker rate at the start of the new fiscal year in April, with survey data indicating a quicker upturn for manufacturers and improvement in both new orders and production. However, the rates of increase were the second weakest since 2022, the private survey noted, as companies continued to indicate that the war in West Asia exerted upward pressure on inflation with input costs and output charges rising at the quickest rates in 44 and six months, respectively. The HSBC India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) rose to 54.7 in April from 53.9 in March, underscoring an improvement in domestic momentum. The PMI reading remains above the 50-mark that separates expansion from contraction. According to the PMI released on Monday, there were quicker increases in new orders and output, alongside the reinstatement of job creation and a rebound in business confidence in April. Exports were a bright area with new orders expanding sharply at the start of the first fiscal quarter and the pace of growth reaching a seven-month high, the survey said. "India's manufacturing PMI rose to 54.7 in April, up from 53.9 in March, but still marking the second-slowest improvement in operating conditions in nearly four years. Spillovers from the Middle East conflict are becoming more evident, particularly through inflation: input costs increased at the fastest pace since August 2022, and output prices rose at the quickest rate in six months. Even so, output, new orders (including exports) and employment all grew moderately, pointing to continued resilience in India's manufacturing," said Pranjul Bhandari, Chief India Economist at HSBC. "The West Asian conflict is no longer a distant risk - it's showing up squarely in India's economic data," said Rishi Shah, partner and economic advisory services leader at Grant Thornton Bharat. "Manufacturing input costs hit a 44-month high in April, with petroleum products, chemicals and aluminium leading the surge."...