Top headlines: No need for lockdown, says PM; Bird Group eyes Air India arm

From PM Modi chairing a meeting with CMs over rising Covid cases to hike in deposit limit, here are top headlines this morning

No need for lockdown, focus on Covid-19 tests: PM Narendra Modi to CMs

Conceding that India was in the grip of a serious public health crisis that had surpassed the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday urged state governments to test more even if that meant higher reporting of the infection. Armed with experience of managing the first wave, better health infrastructure and a locally manufactured vaccine, lockdowns should be avoided altogether, the PM told chief ministers at the virtual meet on Covid. Read More

Cyclical stocks to lead India Inc's earnings