Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday welcomed the decision to reduce excise duty on petrol and diesel and said that under the challenging global situation, the Narendra Modi government has given a huge relief to the public.

The government on Saturday cut excise duty on petrol by a record Rs 8 per litre and that on diesel by Rs 6 per litre to give relief to consumers battered by high fuel prices that have also pushed inflation to a record high.

It also decided to give Rs 200 per cylinder subsidy to Ujjwala Yojana beneficiaries for 12 cylinders in a year.

"Even in this challenging global situation, under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, the central government has given a huge relief to the general public by reducing the excise duty on petrol and diesel and giving a subsidy of Rs 200 on gas cylinders," Shah said in a tweet in Hindi.

The home minister said Modi is a sensitive leader who cares for every section of the country.

Therefore, for the last eight years, the concerns and the interests of the poor, farmers and the general public of the country have always been at the centre of the decisions of the Modi government, he said.

"I express my gratitude to Narendra Modi and (Union Finance Minister) Nirmala Sitharaman for this public-friendly decision," he said.

Shah said for other sectors also, many such steps have been taken which will reduce the price of products. The home minister is currently on a two-day tour of Arunachal Pradesh.

The excise duty cut will translate into a reduction of Rs 9.5 a litre on petrol and Rs 7 a litre in diesel after taking into account its impact on other levies.

Announcing the duty cut through tweets, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also said the government will give Rs 200 per cylinder subsidy to Ujjwala Yojana beneficiaries for 12 cylinders in a year to help ease some of the burden arising from cooking gas rates rising to record levels.

A 14.2-kg LPG cylinder costs Rs 1,003 in the national capital.

Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana beneficiaries, the poor women who got free connections, will get Rs 200 subsidy directly in their bank accounts and the effective price for them would be Rs 803 per 14.2-kg cylinder.

(with inputs from PTI)