Indian Administrative Service officers working under the central government cannot be suspended without the nod of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a move aimed at allowing bureaucrats to take decisions without any fear of political backlash.
'He consulted widely, both formally and informally and acted quickly on pragmatic suggestions.' 'To his credit, Parrikar took the initiative to reduce excessive litigation against armed forces veterans and widow over small sums of pensionary and disability benefits,' points out says Brigadier Gurmeet Kanwal (retd).
'We get an overzealous army of tax inspectors pushing the economy too hard,' says Ajay Shah.
He has the ability to instantly go to the heart of issues and deconstruct them.
'He is seeking to harness the power of Indian Diasporas to national (support for India in global capitals) and political (enhance the Bharatiya Janata Party's support base) ends.'
Modi has the ideas for a new, hopeful India, and an idiom in which to sell optimism to voters. But he doesn't yet have the team for it, and soon enough, questions will begin to be asked by an impatient, non-ideological, I-don't-owe-anybody-anything generation of Indian voters, says Shekar Gupta.
'I will be happy when Indians will get to see a plane made by an Indian taking to the skies.'
'Lending to Mr Mallya was the bankers' season ticket to corridors of power and glamour. Borrowing from them was like a favour Mallya did to them,' says Shekhar Gupta.
Calling India an important partner of the United States, US Representative Ed Royce and George Holding in their letter to House Speaker John Boehner have said that the United States has no more an important partner in South Asia than India.
With GDP growth improving to a nine-quarter high of 5.7 per cent and the stock market brimming with optimism, now is the time for Modi to keep his promises.
'The conception of Make-in-India, Skill India, Smart Cities, Digital India, Beti Bachao, Beti Padao and so on show a visionary breadth of mind, and Modi is almost the first political leader in India to put them into effect with single-minded zeal,' notes B S Raghavan, the former civil servant.
'A couple of Pulwamas will bring the two nations to war and it will be limited to J&K itself.'
The Obama administration has christened his vision of Indo-US ties that has overcome the "hesitations of history" and working for the betterment of the global good as "Modi Doctrine".
A promotion promised six years back hasn't come through even now and the sponsors also never quite warmed up to him but Olympic-bound boxer Manoj Kumar says his stubborn streak prevented him from quitting the sport during what seemed like a never-ending dark phase.
E-auction or e-tendering moves the process of bidding for government contracts completely online, removing most manual procedures and, therefore, creating an accountability trail.
Gujarat is a flourshing state but its business model is not so well accepted at national level.
Veterans bemoan the 'lack of intention' shown by the Modi sarkar, who seem to have reneged on their poll promise.
Foreign policy experts in New Delhi do not expect any major policy shift towards India under Donald Trump with a few feeling New Delhi could hope to derive "some benefit" from his stand on radical Islam.
Many laws on the books are contradictory, and it is a truism that no Indian citizen or business can comply with every single law.
Nirmala Sitharaman's elevation not only to full Cabinet minister but also pitchforking her to the elite Cabinet Committee on Security group with the defence portfolio is undoubtedly the biggest takeaway from Sunday's reshuffle, says Rajeev Sharma.
The 2019 election gives the Indian public the same choice: Between growth and oligarchs (or, in our case, dynasts and crony capitalists). If we chose wisely, well and good. If not, well, we have the Nehruvian Rate of Growth and massive corruption to fall back on. In a large sense, it is a choice between the India of the Lutyens elites and the Bharat of the real citizen, says Rajeev Srinivasan.
Recpaitalising banks through taxpayers' money will not solve the NPA problem.
Ajit Doval is now India's all-powerful security boss. This concentration of power disrupts our layered security system. Will it not weaken whatever remains of the power and authority of the home, defence and finance ministers? asks Shekhar Gupta.
For years, India has been a low priority for Apple as spending power is weaker than in China
Government is looking at a "middle path" in resolving the "ticklish issue" of 'One Rank One Pension' demand of ex-servicemen, officials sources said.
A deal has been done for India to return to the Formula One calendar in 2015 and for six years beyond that if tax problems with the country's authorities can be overcome, commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone said on Saturday.
'In the three years since 2014 social tyranny has become a very real problem.' 'The government has denounced this tyranny -- once in a while.'
'But its supporters in North India bash on regardless,' says T C A Srinivasa-Raghavan.
MotoGP is ready for a foray into India convinced it has a better future than Formula One in the world's second largest motorcycle market.
Why do cherished -- and affordable -- Indian whisky brands like Peter Scot, Solan Number One, and now McDowell's Single Malt keep disappearing? Subir Roy mourns the loss of flavour.
The twin-train derailments within minutes of each other that killed 25 people in Madhya Pradesh on August 5, 2015, is being blamed on flash floods. S Pushpavanam wonders if that is the only reason.
... 'is long lives are generally the norm today,' says Rahul Jacob.
Solving problems through science was the key takeaway from the Prime Minister's speech.
'What gives hope is that Modi's own leadership is vitally linked to his capacity to deliver on the economic front. Indeed, if he succeeds, India's foreign policies will have changed beyond recognition,' feels Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Modi is ranked fifth on the 2015 roster of 'World's Greatest Leaders' with Satyarthi coming in at the 28th spot.
The government's Swachh Bharat programme presents entrepreneurs with a chance to curb open defecation and make money in the process.
The appointment of Yogi Adityanath as UP CM, the revival of the Ram Temple movement, the elevation of a ban on cow slaughter as a national priority, and the targeting of any social behaviour deemed contrary to a set of narrowly prescribed Indian values point to a social regression that contradicts the inclusive and forward-looking impulse that underlies Modi's vision of a modern India.
As West Bengal, Kerala, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry prepare for new administrations, one is reminded of the disparity that runs through the veins of the Indian states, notes Mihir S Sharma.
His 7-day long trip to the United States starts on June 17.
