New Delhi, March 18 : India on Thursday recorded 35,871 new Covid-19 cases, the highest single-day rise since December last year, taking the total tally to 1,14,74,605. A single-day spike of 36,011 new infections were recorded on December 6. The country has been registering an increase in cases for the eighth consecutive day. The cases increased by 6,968 from the previous day, the data shared by the Union Health Ministry showed. On Wednesday, the country had logged 28,903 cases of Covid-19. With death of 172 people in the last 24 hours, the fatality toll has reached 1,59,216 in India. The active caseload in country has mounted to 2,52,364, rising by over 17,958 cases from previous day. With the discharge of 17,741 patients in a day, a total of 1,10,63,025 persons have been discharged so far. A total of 10,63,379 tests were done on Tuesday. As the number of Covid-19 cases is rising across the country, the Centre has sounded a word of caution for states. The Central government said that the pandemic seems to be shifting to Tier II, Tier III cities and closer to rural areas. Health Ministry Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said that 70 districts in 16 states have witnessed an increase of cases by more than 150 per cent from March 1 to march 15. These states include Maharashtra, Punjab, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Haryana. The situation is grim in Maharashtra. So far, 3,71,43,255 doses of corona vaccine have been administered in the country since the drive began on January 16 after approval for 'Covishield' and 'Covaxin'. More than 14 lakh doses were administered on a single day on Wednesday. /IANS