MUMBAI- India's government will consolidate 35 overseas branches of state-run lenders, with 69 more under review, the financial services secretary Rajeev Kumar said in a tweet on Thursday.

The government will also examine and shut down all non-viable offshore operations of state banks to cut costs, he said in the tweet, adding the government will also consolidate equity stakes in joint ventures having multiple state-run bank partners.

Indian banking system has come under renewed scrutiny after a recent $2 billion fraud in Punjab National Bank PNBK.NS , the country's second biggest state lender.

(Reporting by Suvashree Dey Choudhury and Devidutta Tripathy Editing by Rafael Nam) ((suvashree.dchoudhury@thomsonreuters.com; +91-22-61807223; Reuters Messaging: suvashree.dchoudhury.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))