New Delhi, June 3 -- India's economic growth, projected at 6.5 per cent by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), could slow closer to 6 per cent as elevated oil prices continue to weigh on the economy, former IMF Deputy Managing Director and Chief Economist Gita Gopinath told ANI.

According to Gopinath, the impact of higher oil prices is likely to persist into next year.

"We are not going to see the price of oil come down all the way very quickly. It's going to take probably till the middle of next year for oil to come back to say $70 or $75 a barrel. So there is going to be an effect lasting into next year," she said.

She said higher energy costs would affect consumption and investment, leading to slower economic growth than the IMF'...