Scientists say the spread is being accelerated by the new variant and another variant first detected in Britain. India reported 386,452 new cases on Friday.
INSACOG was set up as a forum of scientific advisers by the government in late December specifically to detect genomic variants of the coronavirus that might threaten public health.
The group of scientists claim INSACOG shared its findings with the health ministry’s National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) before March 10, warning that infections could quickly increase in parts of the country.