India may grow closer to 7% in the financial year through March, stronger than the Reserve Bank of India's 6.7% forecast, Deputy Governor Poonam Gupta said on Thursday, a pace that would keep it among the world's fastest-growing major economies.

Her upbeat estimate is based on expectation of a robust April-June quarter, Gupta said at an event at the Madras School of Economics in Chennai, the Financial Express newspaper reported. Official figures for the period are due later this month, with economist predictions generally ranging between 6.9% to 8%.

"It means that a year-around growth rate can be much higher, close to 7%," she said. The forecast underscores India's resilience amid global uncertainties, with domestic demand and investment driving expansion.