New Delhi, Dec. 23: The Prime Minister today hoped that state funding of elections would help cleanse the Indian democratic system while his government clarified that the “funding” is unlikely to be in cash.

On a day the Centre took the first step towards this radical poll reform, Manmohan Singh told the Rajya Sabha: “I am glad that we have initiated a debate on political funding.

“I hope it will soon be able to cleanse our democracy of the taint of greed, the influence of money and the desire for ill-gotten gains.”

A Union cabinet meeting, chaired by the Prime Minister, had given in-principle approval to the measure last night. Today, the Centre decided to forward the 1998 Indrajit Gupta committee recommendations on the subject to the Election Commission.

The poll panel will discuss these with political parties and decide whether they need any tailoring before adoption. It will forward its views to the cabinet for a final decision.

The Gupta committee, which stressed that state funding of polls was justified both constitutionally and legally, said it should be in kind and not cash.

Union minister Priya Ranjan Das Munshi today said this is most likely to happen. The government would provide candidates not money but only the means to campaign.

These, according to the Gupta committee, could include fixed quantities of petrol or diesel for campaign vehicles and paper for printing election literature. A candidate would get five copies of the rolls for his constituency, a set of loudspeakers for every Assembly segment and one deposit-free telephone with a fixed number of free calls.

The committee said funding should be confined to recognised national or state parties. An election fund should be started, where the Centre will put Rs 600 crore a year ? at Rs 10 a voter ? and the states would contribute a matching amount. The system would apply to Lok Sabha, Assembly or any other elections conducted by the poll panel.