Current Affairs Question - 12 August 2019

Explanation :

• The six-member panel led byformer RBI governor Bimal Jalanwas formed on December 26, 2018, to review the Economic Capital Framework (ECF)for the Reserve Bank after the finance ministry wanted the RBI to pursue global best practices and transfer more surplus to the government.
• It has been charged with the responsibility of assessing the top practices followed by central banks globally in the process of assessment and provisions for risks. The government and the RBI under its former governor Urjit Patel had been at odds over the Rs 9.6 lakh crore surplus capitals with the central bank.
• The finance ministry was of the view that the buffer of 28% of gross assets maintained by the RBI is well above the global norm of around 14%.
• Other Members of the panel: Rakesh Mohan, Subhash C Garg, NS Vishwanathan, Bharat Doshi and Sudhir Mankad.
• Past Committees to deal with the ideal size of RBI's reserves:
• V Subrahmanyam (1997)
• Usha Thorat (2004)
• Y H Malegam(2013)

Source: Civil Services Chronicle Online

Explanation :

• On 17^th July, 2019, WHO declared  Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which surfaced in August 2018, an international emergency.
• The declaration raises the outbreak’s visibility and public health officials hope it will awaken the global community to combat the spread of the fatal disease.
• The outbreak, the second largest in history, started in August 2018 and is affecting two provinces in DR Congo - North Kivu and Ituri.

Ebola Virus:

• The genus Ebolavirus is a virological taxon included in the family Filoviridae. The members of this genus are called ebolaviruses.
• There are six known ebolavirus strain according to the regions: Sudan, Tai Forest, Bundibugyo, Reston,Zaire and Bombali ebolavirus.
• The Zaire Ebolavirusis the most dangerous of the six ebolavirus species which are the causative agents of Ebola virus disease.
• Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, is a rare but severe, often fatal illness in humans.
• Ebola is considered a zoonotic virus, meaning that it originated in animals and then spread to humans.

Source: Civil Services Chronicle Online