Emphasising that there is no substitute to testing, tracking and treatment, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday at a meeting to review the country's Covid preparedness that all necessary measures must be taken to ramp up the availability of beds for Covid patients.

The Prime Minister said that together India had defeated Covid-19 last year and the country can do it again, with the same principles but in better coordination. Modi said, "Early testing and proper tracking remain key to reduce mortality. The local administrations need to be proactive and sensitive to the concerns of the people."