Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday cautioned that inflation could be in double digits in March though the government is taking all steps to protect the vulnerable sections from price rise.

Chanting anti-government slogans, hundreds of supporters of Left parties held a demonstration in New Delhi on Friday, protesting the rising prices of essential commodities.

Food inflation eased a bit to 17.81 percent during the last week of February, but may not soothe overall inflation as petrol and diesel prices have risen sharply following the hike in duty rates.

Telugu Desam chief N Chandrababu Naidu, CPI (M) Polit Bureau member B V Raghavulu and CPI state secretary K Narayana and scores of party workers were today taken into custody while they tried to take out a march towards the Andhra Pradesh Assembly here protesting the hike in petroleum prices.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday said the government was taking all possible steps to counter rising food prices and added that he was confident India’s economic growth would exceed 8 percent in the next fiscal.