India reported 32,981 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, data from the federal health ministry showed on Monday.
Cumulative cases now total 9.68 million, the second-highest tally in the world after the United States.
But health officials are drawing some encouragement that daily readings have stayed below the 50,000 mark for a month, inspite of a busy festival season that saw crowded markets and busy streets. The number peaked in September when more than 97,000 cases were reported on a single day.
Deaths rose by 391, with the total now 140,573, the health ministry said.
(Reporting by Shilpa Jamkhandikar; Editing by Kim Coghill)
