Mumbai, Jun 4: The Reserve Bank on Friday lowered the country's growth projection for the current financial year to 9.5 per cent from 10.5 per cent estimated earlier, amid uncertainties created by the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

Addressing the media after the meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das said the sudden rise in COVID-19 infections, and fatalities has impaired the near nascent recovery that was underway, but has not snuffed it out.

The impulses of growth are still alive, he said, and added that the aggregate supply conditions have shown resilience in the face of the second wave.

The RBI Governor said the RBI will "continue to think and act out of the box", planning for the worst and hoping for the best.

Das further said the measures announced on Friday, in conjunction with other steps taken so far are expected to reclaim the growth trajectory from which "we have slid".

In April, the Reserve Bank had projected the real GDP growth for 2021-22 at 10.5 per cent.

India's economy had contracted by less-than-expected 7.3 per cent in the fiscal year ended March 2021, after growth rate picked up in the fourth quarter. The gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 1.6 per cent in the January-March period, up from 0.5 per cent in the previous quarter.

"... real GDP growth is now projected at 9.5 per cent in 2021-22 consisting of 18.5 per cent in Q1; 7.9 per cent in Q2; 7.2 per cent in Q3; and 6.6 per cent in Q4 of 2021-22," the Governor said.

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Bahraich (UP) (PTI): Two minor girls were injured in separate incidents of wolf attacks in the Bahraich district, forest department officials said on Saturday.

In the first incident on Friday, Anushka Nishad (5), daughter of Baliram from Mallahanpurwa village, was sleeping alone inside her house when a wolf entered and tried to carry her away, they said.

Hearing her screams, family members and villagers rushed to the spot. The wolf left the child, hearing the commotion, and ran towards the fields. The girl sustained minor injuries from the animal's teeth, the officials said.

Divisional Forest Officer Ram Singh Yadav described the attack as deliberate and cleverly planned, as it occurred precisely when Anushka's mother went out for a few moments.

On the same day, Nancy (4), daughter of Kamlesh Yadav, was playing outside her house in Baburi Tola village when a wolf suddenly attacked and dragged her away.

Villagers raised an alarm, and the wolf released the child and ran towards the sugarcane fields. The injured child was sent to the Kaiserganj Community Health Centre for treatment.

Divisional Forest Officer Ram Singh Yadav told reporters that both attacks involved wolves, adding that the entire area is plagued by the animal's activity.

Since September 9, such attacks in the Bahraich district have claimed 10 lives, including eight children and an elderly couple, and injured dozens of people, the officials said.

District Magistrate Akshay Tripathi met the families of the victims on Friday and consoled them.