Falls to 49.3 in March from February's 7-yr high of 57.5 as companies cut workforce
Service providers saw a marked increase in new work intakes during February, the second-fastest in over seven years
The dominant sector of the economy had suffered two straight-months of contraction since September
Wednesday's upbeat survey comes after official data showed India's annual economic growth slowed to 4.5% in the July-September quarter, its weakest pace since 2013.
The data showed that the rate of deceleration also declined in October from September, providing a ray of hope in these times of slowdown.
Anecdotal evidence highlighted subdued demand conditions, competitive pressures and a fragile economic situation
A sub-index tracking overall demand showed new orders increased at the quickest pace in nearly three years, driven largely by foreign demand
The Nikkei/IHS Markit Services Purchasing Managers' Index slipped to 51.0 in April, the lowest since September, down from 52.0 the previous month.