Explained Editor’s note | Jats of Western UP, state of pandemic, how Padmas are given

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Dear Express Explained reader,   The first two phases of the Assembly elections in UP will be held in the state’s Jat belt — seats in Western UP, where the socially dominant farming community has a significant presence. The RLD, the predominant political platform of the Jats, has tied up with the Samajwadi Party, an alliance that is giving the BJP some reason for worry. Who are the Jats of Western UP, what has been their politics over the decades, and where do they figure in the calculations of political parties in the coming elections? Do read Shyamlal Yadav’s very informative primer. (We’ve also started a series on important political leaders of UP; Shyamlal wrote the first one this week, on Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant, the first chief minister of the state.) INSACOG, the consortium of laboratories that is tracking the variants of the coronavirus, has announced that Omicron is now in the “community transmission” stage in India. Anuradha Mascarenhas and Amitabh Sinha explained what this means — and why this announcement, despite the coverage it got in the news media, does not have much practical relevance for you and me in terms of what we should or should not be doing to protect ourselves right now. Do also read Amitabh’s wrap on the state of the pandemic in India — there is enough data now to conclude that the third wave may have peaked at a level far lower than what had been feared; and Anuradha’s summary of the revised guidelines issued by the government on managing Covid in children and adolescents, especially on the use of antivirals or monoclonal antibodies treatment, and the use of masks in very young children. There are three other explainers that I would like to flag to you around events that took place this week. Deeptiman Tiwary wrote two of them — on the FCRA provisions that determine the boundaries of what NGOs can or cannot do with regard to funding from entities and individuals overseas; and how the government decides on the recipients of the Padma Awards, and why there are sometimes (like this year) controversies around these choices. Avishek G Dastidar and Iram Siddique wrote on the process by which the Railways recruit employees, and the non-technical popular category examination that led to massive protests this week, ultimately forcing the government to put the process on hold.   Stay safe and stay aware. (Amitabh’s piece does not mean the pandemic is over!) And keep reading The Indian Express Explained. Do subscribe for the best of our explainers.   Sincerely,    Monojit   (monojit.majumdar@expressindia.com)    If you received this newsletter as a forward, you can subscribe to it here | Do read our Explained articles here

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From the Explained section       The third wave of Covid has likely peaked in India. Here's why           The Jats and BJP in UP: why this history is important in the coming election           Bad bank is ready, how will it resolve stressed assets?

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