India, Sept. 12 -- Giving a boost to the Narendra Modi-led government, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has backed India's 7.8% GDP growth recorded in the April-June quarter, saying the South Asian nation remains a key growth engine for the world.

The IMF's observation comes amid an ongoing debate over the credibility of India's latest GDP estimates.

Julie Kozack, Director of the Communications Department at the IMF, said during a media briefing that India's real GDP grew by 7.8% in the second quarter, exceeding both the IMF staff's expectations and the consensus among other observers.

"India's real GDP in the second quarter grew by 7.8%. That was above our staff expectations and also the consensus among other observers. This upwa...