India added 53,476 Covid-19 infections overnight, the highest daily rise since October 23, the health ministry data showed on Thursday.
India has 11.8 million Covid-19 cases, the third-highest amount behind the United States and Brazil.
The country reported 251 new deaths, taking the overall tally to 160,692, the data showed.
Earlier on Wednesday, India detected a new "double mutant variant" of the novel coronavirus, adding to concern as the government struggles with the new numbers infections and deaths this year.
Genome sequencing and analysis of samples from Maharashtra state found mutations in the virus that do not match previously catalogued "variants of concern" (VOC), the ministry said in a statement.
Maharashtra is one of India's worst-affected states but the ministry said it was not clear if the new variant was causing an upsurge there or in other states.
Alarmed by the surge, the federal government has announced it was expanding its nationwide inoculation campaign to include everyone above the age of 45 years, and appealed to people to get vaccinated.
Total vaccinations in India, rank as world's third highest, behind the United States and China, but its ranking is lower on a per capita basis, the website Our World in Data showed.
