Indian PM Modi’s government retains Sitharaman as finance minister

NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s new coalition government on Monday appointed Nirmala Sitharaman as finance minister for a second consecutive term, the government said in a statement.

Ministerial posts were allotted a day after Modi was sworn in for a rare third term, and his cabinet held its first meeting on Monday evening.

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Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and Interior Minister Amit Shah also retained their portfolios, the government said.