Earlier this week, the Sixth Pay Commission handed in its much-awaited Report. The full report, complete with summaries and other aids, is available at the official website of the government of India here. As is to be expected, the early reactions are mixed. Today’s Hindu carries an editorial on the report which is more factual than opinionated, but seems to be generally approving in its tone. In his column in Tuesday’s edition of the Indian Express, Pratap Mehta was more critical of what he describes as opportunities missed by the Commission. A piece in today’s Hindu suggests that the Chiefs of the three services are not entirely happy with the Report, and this angry diatribe from a serving police officer appears to reflect the unhappiness among IPS officers and others who seem displeased with the fact that the Commission has not altered the ‘caste system’ of the All India Services. My immediate reaction was to ponder over whether such a ‘reform’ was within the mandate of the Pay Commission at all. In any case, the Report provides an interesting hook for debates about restructuring and reforming government in the neo-liberal times we live in, and following debates about it will provide interesting insights into the overarching philosophies of commentators and pundits in contemporary India.