Asia’s largest helmet manufacturer, Steelbird Hi-Tech India, on Tuesday offered to set up a manufacturing plant in Jammu and Kashmir, a day after the Centre scrapped the provision that granted the state’s residents exclusive rights over land and jobs.

The initiative will help the Kashmir Valley kickstart an industrial revolution and generate employment for the citizens, Steelbird said in a statement welcoming the government’s move.

“It is a much-awaited move by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to overrule Article 370. This fantastic move ensures that the Valley enters the Indian mainstream and becomes a part of our nation’s collective growth,” said Steelbird Helmets chairman Subhash Kapur.

Till now, most of Jammu and Kashmir’s manufacturing activities had been restricted to the state’s inherent capacities in agriculture and handicraft, the statement said.

“We think it will kickstart with the companies tying up with established local players to build the ecosystem. This is how most cities and states grow and we see it as a great opportunity for localites first,” said Steelbird Helmets MD Rajeev Kapur.

“We plan to come up with a manufacturing facility in accordance with the upcoming investor summit in the month of October. We hope the decisions will allow the businesses to operate freely under the same rules in the Valley,” Kapur added.

Steelbird has invested Rs 150 crore in manufacturing plants at Baddi, Himachal Pradesh, and is planning to enhance the production capacity to 44,500 helmets a day.