Retail inflation increased marginally to 3.18 per cent in June this year over the previous month, mainly due to rise in food prices.

According to Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation data released today, the retail inflation based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) stood at 3.05 per cent in May and 4.92 per cent in June last year.

The retail inflation is on the rise since January this year.

As per the CPI data released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), the food inflation was 2.17 per cent in June this year, up from 1.83 per cent in the preceding month.

Inflation in protein-rich food items, like egg, meat and fish, was higher in June compared to the previous month. However, the rate of price rise in vegetables and fruits was slower.

The Reserve Bank of India mainly factors in retail inflation while deciding the bi-monthly monetary policy.