Retail inflation rose to 3.65 per cent in February this year led by a sharp increase in food and fuel prices.

Consumer price index based inflation was 3.17 per cent in January although it was much higher at 5.26 per cent in February last year.

Meanwhile, consumer food price inflation rose to 2.01 per cent, according to official data released on Tuesday. It was 0.61 per cent in January 2016.

Similarly, retail inflation in fuel and light shot up to 3.9 per cent in February this year.

Meanwhile, a separate set of data released earlier in the day showed that wholesale price index based inflation jumped up to a 39-month high of 6.55 per cent in February because of costlier food and fuel items. It was 5.25 per cent in January.