Expressing his concern over the sight of crowded places with people not following COVID-19 norms, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday that there should be no space for carelessness or complacency and that a single mistake would have far-reaching impact and may weaken the fight against the pandemic.

Interacting with members of the Council of Ministers a day after he reshuffled and expanded it, he said India's fight against the pandemic is underway with full vigour with steady vaccination drive and high testing, while sounding a note of caution against any complacency.

"PM said that with the Covid infection numbers being fewer than what they were in the recent months, people may want to venture out. However, everyone must remember that the threat of COVID-19 is far from over. Many other nations are seeing surges in infections. The virus is also mutating," a source said.

He told ministers that the aim should not be to instill fear but to request people to keep taking all possible precautions so that the nation is able to move beyond this pandemic in the times to come.

He also asked ministers to reach office on time and channelise all their energy into their ministerial work, saying their focus should be on helping the most deprived people.

He said the new ministers can meet their predecessors and learn from their experience, sources said.

He told the new ministers that those no longer part of the government have made contributions and newcomers can learn from them, the sources said.

In a word of advice, he said it is the work that only matters and the ministers should not get trapped in the vicious circle of grabbing media attention.

He said ministers should avoid making unnecessary statements.