• Digital payments across the country registered a growth of nearly 40 per cent in a year through September 2021, as per the RBI's latest index that measures the adoption of online transactions.

• The newly constituted RBI's digital payment index (RBI-DPI) stood at 304.06 during September 2021 as against 270.59 in March 2021 and 217.74 in September 2020.

• The Reserve Bank had announced the construction of a composite Reserve Bank of India " Digital Payments Index (RBI-DPI) with March 2018 as a base to capture the extent of digitization of payments across the country.

• The RBI-DPI comprises 5 broad parameters that enable measurement of deepening and penetration of digital payments in the country over different periods.

• These parameters are Payment Enablers (weight 25 per cent); Payment Infrastructure - Demand-side factors (10 per cent); Payment Infrastructure -Supply-side factors (15 per cent); Payment Performance (45 per cent); and Consumer Centricity (5 per cent).

• The index is published on a semi-annual basis from March 2021 onwards with a lag of 4 months.

• Food services company Jubilant FoodWorks Limited (JFL), which operates Domino's Pizza and Dunkin' Donuts in India, on Jan 18 launched US Fried Chicken brand Popeyes in the country, opening the first restaurant in Bengaluru.

• The brand will have its own App (Android and iOS) and Mobile Website for online orders.

• Louisiana-born, Popeyes was founded in 1972 and has been one of America’s most popular and fastest-growing Chicken brands. It has over 3,400 restaurants in over 25 countries. 

• The Popeyes India menu will feature the signature Cajun flavoured, world-famous Chicken Sandwich, which took the internet by storm in August 2019 in the United States

• The Indian menu will also feature an array of vegetarian options like Rice Bowls and Wraps.

• There was no Indian representation in ICC Men's T20I Team of the Year 2021, which featured three Pakistanis including skipper Babar Azam, who has been named captain.

• Apart from Azam, opener Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Afridi, who had a sensational T20 World Cup were name in the squad.

• All-rounder Mitchell Marsh and pacer Josh Hazelwood, who played a vital role in winning Australia's maiden T20 World Cup title, featured in the team while the trio of South Africans Aiden Markram, David Miller and Tabraiz Shamsi also made it to the playing XI.

• Flamboyant wicketkeeper batter Jos Buttler was the sole member of the England team in the ICC side.

• Men: Jos Buttler (England), Mohammad Rizwan (Paksitan), Babar Azam (c) (Pakistan), Aiden Markram (South Africa) , Mitchell Marsh (Australia), David Miller (South Africa), Tabraiz Shamsi (South Africa), Josh Hazlewood (Australia), Wanindu Hasanranga (Sri Lanka) , Mustafizur Rahaman (Bangladesh, Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan).

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the World Economic Forum's (WEF) Davos Agenda on Jan 17  where he said that India has given the entire world a "bouquet of hope". "The bouquet contains - trust towards democracy, technology to empower 21st century and talent & temperament of us Indians," he said.

• The WEF's annual meeting, which has been taking place in the Swiss ski resort town of Davos for 50 years now, could not take place in 2021 due to the Coronavirus pandemic and has been deferred till early summer this year.

• However the virtual summit 'Davos Agenda' summit would be held for the second consecutive year on the dates originally scheduled for the physical annual meeting.

Highlights of Modi ji speech :

*We used the Corona time for reforms.

*India is dealing with the third wave of pandemic as I speak to you today.

*India has given the world a bouquet of hope. We have unwavering faith in this bouquet.

*We also focused on reforms in the right direction. Global economic experts have praised India's decisions and I'm certain that we will fulfill the world's aspirations from India.

*In just one year, India has administered nearly 160 crore Covid vaccine doses. A democracy such as India has given the entire world a bouquet of hope. The bouquet contains - trust towards democracy, technology to empower 21st century and talent & temperament of us Indians.

*India fighting another COVID-19 wave with full alertness and caution while maintaining economic growth.

*In the times of Covid, we saw India's vision of one Earth, One Health which helped save millions of lives by sending medicines to countries. India is today the pharmacy of the world. It is a country whose doctors are earning the trust of all through their empathy.

*During this crisis, the IT sector worked round the clock. India is now contributing a record number of software professionals to the world. India has the world's third-highest number of Unicorns.

*In the previous year, the digital infra developed and adopted by India have become its greatest strength. Aarogya Setu app and CoWin Portal are India's source of pride. There was a time when India was known because of its license raaj. I understand the challenges to India's businesses. We are working to reduce the challenges.

*The entrepreneurship spirit that Indians have, the ability to adopt new technology, can give new energy to each of our global partners. So, this is the best time to invest in India.

*Entrepreneurship among Indian youth is at a new height today. In 2014 where there were few hundred registered startups in India. At the same time, their number has crossed 60 thousand today. It also has more than 80 unicorns, of which more than 40 were made in 2021.

*Today India is making policies, taking decisions regarding the present as well as the goals of the next 25 years. In this period, India has set the goals of high growth, a saturation of welfare, and wellness. This period of growth will also be green, it will also be clean, it will also be sustainable, it will also be reliable.

• The Supreme Court on Jan 18  granted protection from arrest to actress Poonam Pandey in porn films racket case.

• A bench of Justices Vineet Saran and B V Nagarathna issued notice to the Maharashtra government on an appeal filed by Pandey against a Bombay High Court order rejecting her anticipatory bail.

• Pandey has been arrayed as an accused in the FIR along with actor Sherlyn Chopra.

• The high court had rejected her anticipatory bail application on November 25, 2021.

• In December, the apex court had granted protection from arrest to Raj Kundra in connection with an FIR registered against him for allegedly distributing pornographic videos.

• Kundra had been booked under certain Sections of the Indian Penal Code, Indecent Representation of Women (Prevention) Act and Information Technology Act, for allegedly distributing/ transmitting sexually explicit videos.

·      Senior Congress leader and two-time MLA from Garhshankar, Luv Kumar Goldy has  joined the Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) along with his supporters, ahead of the February 20 assembly polls in the state.

• The Jammu and Kashmir government took over the Kashmir Press Club (KPC), which was closed by a faction allegedly backed by authorities, and cancelled the land and building allotment of the club and handed it back to the Estates Department.

• The move triggered anger among the journalist community as well as from a section of political parties.

• Bhagwant Mann will be the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) chief ministerial face for the Punjab assembly polls, party chief Arvind Kejriwal announced.

• Mann, 48, is a two-time MP from Sangrur and is the party's state unit chief.

• The announcement was made a public event.