New Delhi, April 22 -- As summer arrives ahead of schedule in India, warnings of intense heatwaves are raising alarms across the nation's industrial heartlands. With millions of workers toiling in factories and mines without protection from heat, industry experts warn that soaring temperatures could throttle productivity, risking a slowdown in India's vital manufacturing sector.

The weather office has issued heat wave alerts for south Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, southern Haryana and Maharashtra's Vidarbha over multiple days until 24 April. For most of the country, there is little relief until the annual monsoon rains arrive. Labour-intensive sectors like textiles, leather, and small-scale engineering units are expected to b...