new delhi, Sept. 4 -- Growth in India's services activity, as measured by the Services Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI), rose to a 15-year high in August as stronger demand increased new orders and activity, according to a release from S&P Global on Wednesday. The seasonally adjusted HSBC India Services Business Activity Index came in at 62.9, up from 60.5 in July and was the highest since June 2010. The August reading is the highest since May 2013, as per the earliest data available on the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE). The reading was also above the 50-mark, which indicates expansion over the previous month. The index has remained above 50 for four years now. The PMI services number, however, was lower than the services flash PMI of 65.6, released last month. "India's services PMI Business Activity Index reached a 15-year high last month, from 60.5 in July to 62.9 in August, on the back of surging new orders," said Pranjul Bhandari, chief India economist at HSBC. New orders increased at the fastest pace in 15 years, and 37% of service providers reported growth, while only 11% saw a decline. New export orders also picked up and added to the rise in total sales. The rate of expansion was the third-strongest since the question was added to the survey in September 2014. Expenses of businesses increased to the largest extent in nine months primarily due to higher wages being paid to workers. Other reasons were greater transportation fees and material costs. Because of companies passing on this higher cost to consumers, combined with higher demand, final prices of services increased at the quickest pace in over 13 years. Hiring across services firms, however, remained moderate in August, though accelerating since July. According to responses from surveyed participants, there was largely an increase in part-time recruitment in August....