August services data: retail expands, air transport falls in trial index
India’s experimental services-production data show retail trade rising 19.9% in August from a year earlier, while air transport fell 9.6%. The series remains under testing.
The story in brief
MoSPI released the August 2026 figures on October 29 for 19 service sub-sectors, using 2024–25 as the base year. The comparisons are with August 2025, rather than the previous month.1 Banking recorded 14.9% growth, alongside the contrasting retail and air-transport results. MoSPI says the monthly series is experimental; banking, railway and insurance indices use provisional data and will undergo annual revisions.1
Context: These indices track activity across service industries. They are not a single GDP growth figure and do not show that a particular shop’s income rose, flight fares fell or every business benefited equally.
Who this matters for: Readers following shops, services and the economy
Not yet known
The release does not establish changes in an individual business’s earnings or consumer prices.
Sources
- 1Release of Sub-Sectoral Trial Index of Services Production for August2026, Base Year2024–25 ↗Government of India / Press Information Bureau · 29 October 2026
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