Mumbai, June 3 -- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is likely to keep interest rates unchanged in the near term and adopt a data-dependent approach before taking any future policy action, according to Gita Gopinath, former Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

In an exclusive interview with ANI ahead of the RBI's monetary policy announcement, Gopinath on Wednesday said the central bank is currently balancing inflation risks arising from higher oil prices and currency depreciation against signs of softer economic activity.

"I expect that in the near term the RBI will likely be on hold, but then eventually maybe in the future depending upon developments and what's happening with inflation, they can respond," she...