WASHINGTON- Regarding prospects for reinvigorating ties with India, U.S. administration officials painted a mixed picture of hope, pinned on the new Indian government's pro-business outlook, and frustration, in certain policy areas that are on halt as to date.

Senator McCain having recently visited India further underscored, "Prime Minister Modi and Indian leaders are deeply concerned about President Barack Obama's decision to fully withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan by January 2017 regardless of conditions on the ground."

However it was the India-U.S. civilian nuclear agreement that got top billing in the discussion, with U.S. concerns fixed on India's nuclear liability law and the obstacles that it may pose to American companies seeking to supply reactors and other nuclear components to the country.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for South and South East Asia, Amy Searight said that U.S. Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel would be travelling to India in August. "The bottom line is that we want India to have all the capabilities it needs to meet its security demands and we want to be a strong partner in that effort," Searight added, emphasizing both military-to-military ties and growing defence trade.