A High-Level Committee (HLC), chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, has approved Rs 3,027.86 crore for disaster mitigation projects across various states. The committee, which includes Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and the Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog as members, reviewed proposals for mitigation projects related to lightning safety in 50 lightning-prone districts across 10 states, as well as catalytic assistance for 49 drought-prone districts in 12 states, all to be funded from the National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF), according to an official statement. The committee approved a project for catalytic assistance to the 12 most drought-prone states at a total cost of Rs 2,022.16 crore, with the central share being Rs 1,200 crore. The 12 states are Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh. Additionally, the committee approved a