* HSBC's India Services Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI), compiled by S&P Global, fell sharply to 53.3 in July from June's 57.4 but was slightly higher than a preliminary estimate of 53.1. PMI readings above 50.0 signal expansion in activity.
* New business - a key gauge for demand - rose only moderately, posting the softest expansion in close to four-and-a-half years.
* International demand also softened slightly from the previous month despite export orders outpacing growth in overall new business.
* Hiring picked up from a six-month low recorded in June, marking a seventh month of job creation. But the improvement was modest with a majority of firms reporting no change to headcount and only a small fraction adding staff.
* India's Composite PMI, which measures activity across both services and manufacturing, fell to 54.3 in July from 57.1 - its weakest reading since March 2022, pointing to a broad-based loss of momentum across India's private sector.