Arun Jaitley named as finance and defence minister - govt statement

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Arun Jaitley will head both India's finance and defence ministry in the new administration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a government statement said on Tuesday.

Jaitley, 61, is one of India's top corporate lawyers and has served as a commerce minister in a previous administration. He is a close associate of Modi.

Jaitley was one of 23 cabinet ministers sworn in along with Modi on Monday. Sushma Swaraj, a party veteran, was appointed as the foreign minister.

(Reporting by Sanjeev Miglani)