New Delhi: Within a week of the crucial meeting of the Nuclear Command Authority under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, government has given a go ahead for procuring 30 more short-range surface-to-surface Prithvi missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

The move to acquire 30 of these 150-300 km range missiles is coinciding with final preparations being made by the Defence Research and Development Organisation to test fire the 3,000 km version of the Intermediate Ballistic Missile – Agni III, highly placed Defence Ministry officials said.

They indicated that the initial trial of Agni III would be undertaken in the first week of November and the government has also given the nod for induction of shorter range, 700 km Agni I and 1,500-2000 km Agni II.

Officials said that the Agni I and Agni II would be first given to the newly set up Strategic Forces Command, whose command structure, location of headquarters and location of alternative command have been finalised and put in motion.

Government had also given the nod for transfer of the Army's two Missile battalions to the new Nuclear Command.

"These are some of the measures taken at the recent meeting of the Political Affairs committee of the Nuclear Command Authority," officials said.

Declaring their intention to "consolidate" India's nuclear deterrence, the meeting reviewed the arrangements for the strategic forces programme and took a number of decisions on further development and management of the programme.

PTI