India, March 20 -- The Cabinet Commitee on Security (CCS), headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has cleared a Rs.7,000-crore deal for 307 locally made artillery guns along with towing vehicles, in a boost for self-reliance in the country's defence manufacturing sector, officials aware of the matter said on Thursday.

The ATAGS (advanced towedartillerygun system) deal was cleared on Wednesday, paving the way for the signing of a contract by March-end, the officials said, asking not to be named.

The 155mm/52-calibre gun has a range of 48 km.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) began the ATAGS project in 2013 to replace older army guns with a modern 155mm artillery gun system. It partnered with two private firms ---...