New Delhi, March 10 -- India's retail inflation under the new series is expected to rise to 3.1% in February from 2.8% in January, driven by increases in prices of some food items from a year ago, according to a Mint poll of 18 economists.

India's statistics ministry had released a 'back series' for the Consumer Price Index (CPI) using the new base year of 2024. Economists in the poll expect the second print of the CPI under the new rebased series to land in the range of 2.8-3.4%.

The official data is scheduled for release on 12 March.

"We expect a further climb in headline CPI inflation as the scale of disinflation in food (including vegetables, pulses, etc.) continues to ease, while precious metal price pressures remain firm," said R...