Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella has signed a decree declaring a 30-day state of economic, social and ecological emergency in parts of the country hit by the August 10 earthquake.

The decree, signed after a cabinet meeting in Bogota on Wednesday (local time), covers 15 affected departments, including Valle del Cauca, Risaralda and Caldas, as the government seeks to respond to what it described as a grave public calamity.

De la Espriella said the emergency measures were aimed at not only rebuilding damaged homes, but also restoring businesses and essential public infrastructure, including schools and hospitals, reports Xinhua news agency.

Colombia was facing the “most complex” fiscal situation in its republican history, making extraordinary measures necessary, he said.

The president said his government would cut spending on some non-priority programs from the previous administration to meet current national needs, while ensuring that the most vulnerable people were not affected.

According to figures released by Colombia’s National Unit for Disaster Risk Management as of Wednesday evening, the 7.4-magnitude earthquake in western Colombia had killed 319 people, injured 4,469 and left 260 missing. A total of 364 people had been rescued.

The agency said 476 municipalities across 15 departments had been affected, with some 272,830 people impacted by the disaster.

National and international search-and-rescue teams continued combing through the rubble to locate the missing people, with 358 people reportedly rescued so far.

Colombia’s Foreign Ministry said more than 220 tonnes of humanitarian aid had arrived in the country and 144 international specialists had joined emergency response efforts.

Many affected residents remained in temporary shelters and tents in parks in the hardest-hit areas of Valle del Cauca, Risaralda and Choco.

Tension prevailed at Jadavpur University in Kolkata following clashes between two rival student groups, prompting Vice-Chancellor Chiranjib Bhattacharya to hint at the possibility of setting up a permanent police outpost on the campus to maintain law and order.The supporters of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), the student wing of the Communist Party of India-Marxist, and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) clashed at Jadavpur University in the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday.

Following the clashes, with the two student groups continuing to challenge each other escalating tension in the campus, the Vice-Chancellor said on Thursday that the university may consider setting up a permanent police outpost on the campus if such incidents continue.Bhattacharya said that a permanent police outpost would not fit the culture of “open-minded thinking” for which Jadavpur University has been known for years.However, he added that the proposal could be considered if repeated clashes among student groups disturb the campus atmosphere.

“A university campus cannot be beyond the law and order of the country. So whatever laws are in the legal system of the country will be applicable here as well. I will try to maintain security within the campus. I am familiar with this ecosystem here. We believe in open-minded thinking. That will remain. A permanent police outpost does not suit the culture of Jadavpur University. But if such incidents happen again and again, we will have to think of that,” Bhattacharya said.An FIR was registered against 11 people under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at Jadavpur Police Station.

All 11 people named in the FIR are associated with the SFI or other Left-wing student groups.On Thursday morning, SFI supporters began a protest march towards the Jadavpur University campus from the Jadavpur 8 Bus Stand in Kolkata.A large police contingent stopped the march at the outset.Besides personnel from the Kolkata Police, a sizeable number of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel were deployed to prevent the protesters from reaching the university campus.

Meanwhile, a counter-rally by the ABVP began from Golpark Crossing, also in south Kolkata.The ABVP procession is also expected to be stopped before it reaches the university’s main gate, with police likely to halt it near Jadavpur Police Station.The primary objective of the police deployment is to prevent the two rival groups from coming face to face and avoid further clashes.The SFI has warned that it will not accept any move by the ABVP to proceed towards the university campus from the direction of Jadavpur Police Station.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday launched a fresh attack on the Congress over the decision of its Working Committee to continue with the practice of singing only the first two stanzas of the national song ‘Vande Mataram’ at party programmes, accusing the grand old party of disrespecting the national song and the sentiments associated with it.

The BJP’s reactions came a day after the Congress Working Committee (CWC) resolved to continue following the tradition established through a 1937 CWC decision, under which only the first two stanzas of ‘Vande Mataram’ are recited during Congress events.

The decision has assumed significance as the Centre has recently made the complete rendition of the national song part of official protocol.Reacting sharply to the Congress decision, Madhya Pradesh Minister Vishwas Sarang accused the party of dividing not only the country but also the national song, while questioning the Congress leadership’s understanding of the historical significance of ‘Vande Mataram’.

Sarang, speaking to IANS, said, “The Congress has divided this country and has also divided Vande Mataram. The Congress has been committing this sin. Whether it was Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi or Sonia Gandhi, they have all been involved. Just four days ago, look at the way Sonia Gandhi insulted Vande Mataram. You talk about dividing the country, and you are dividing Vande Mataram.”He further highlighted the role of ‘Vande Mataram’ during India’s freedom struggle and said the song had served as a source of inspiration for those freedom fighters who fought against British rule.

“How can Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi know the significance of Vande Mataram?” Sarang said.

BJP leader Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh also criticised the Congress, alleging that the party frequently takes positions that hurt the sentiments of a large section of the country’s population.”Congress does everything that hurts the sentiments of the majority of people in this country. It does everything that goes against them, and Congress needs to look at itself in the mirror,” Singh told IANS.

He further attributed the Congress’ present political position to what he described as the party’s double standards and said that its approach had contributed to its decline despite its long political history.”It is because of this very double standards that, despite being the largest and oldest party, it has reached this stage today,” Singh said.Bihar government minister Vijay Sinha launched a strong attack on the Congress over its decision, accusing the party of being influenced by what he described as appeasement politics and questioning its understanding of Indian culture and the national song.

Speaking to IANS, Sinha said, “Congress is mentally enslaved, and the people in Congress are like bonded labourers. Such appeasement decisions at the behest of Sonia Gandhi, who is far removed from Indian culture and doesn’t even understand the meaning of ‘Vande Mataram’, would be suicidal.””This country will not accept anyone who doesn’t respect Mother India,” he added.Meanwhile, Maharashtra BJP MLA Ram Kadam said that ‘Vande Mataram’ had played a crucial role in inspiring revolutionaries and freedom fighters during India’s struggle for Independence.

Speaking to IANS, Kadam said, “Vande Mataram was the slogan of the revolutionaries and a source of inspiration during the freedom struggle. Many patriots went to the gallows, endured imprisonment and suffered lathi charges while chanting Vande Mataram.”Kadam alleged that the Congress had repeatedly criticised or questioned the national song and said that its recent position had drawn “widespread criticism from people across the country”.Meanwhile, the Congress continues to maintain its longstanding practice of singing the first two stanzas like it did during its struggle for India’s Independence and even after the nation became free.