Worried over rising food inflation, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has asked the states to remove local levies like octroi and mandi tax to bridge the gap between wholesale and retail prices. Addressing State Finance Ministers in New Delhi yesterday during the Pre-Budget deliberations, he urged state governments to play their part in controlling inflation. He said, there is a need to urgently look into supply management of items that are driving the current round of food inflation. The minister asserted that bottlenecks in supply chain have to be removed and States have to take steps to enhance agriculture productivity and create efficient distribution and marketing infrastructure. The Minister said that there is also a need to cut down on the wastage of food grains.