Growth momentum in the Indian manufacturing industry improved in April, with output increasing at the fastest pace since June 2024 on the back of another strong expansion in order books, a monthly survey said on Friday. Total sales were supported by the second fastest upturn in international orders since March 2011. This positive trend was accompanied by notable rises in employment and purchasing activity. Robust demand for Indian goods boosted firms' pricing power, with selling charges hiked to the greatest degree since October 2013. This was despite a modest uptick in input costs. Despite rising only fractionally from 58.1 in March to 58.2 in April, the seasonally adjusted HSBC India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index showed the strongest improvement in the health of the sector for ten months. The headline figure was spurred by faster increases in stocks of purchases, employment and production.