I got my PAN from the 90s updated with my current status/details and was surprised how easy it was. Granted, you had to send in a number of papers again and again to NDSL in Pune, but not one stamp of some govt official required. The card finally showed up per registered post in Munich.
I just finished converting all our 4 PIO to OCIs this year and the only contact to babudom was when picking it up from the consulate. That said with only 1lakh NRIs in Germany, the consulates here still entertain you in the consulate, with the 38 lakh in the US that is probably not possible.

Re Modi: I'm amazed that a party representing the traders and businessmen did something like demonetization and pulled thru the GST project. I wonder what the voters will say in a few years.