The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Wednesday raised its GDP growth forecast for the April-June quarter by 40 basis points to 7%, saying that several indicators suggested the Indian economy performed better than expected in Q1. Barclays India Chief Economist Aastha Gudwani believes that growth in the first quarter of FY27 could be even higher than 7%. In an interview with Shubham Rana, he says that the RBI’s Monetary Policy Committee is unlikely to raise interest rates in 2026, and rates hikes may take place in early 2027. Edited excerpts: