he bonus announced by the Chhattisgarh government for the farmers failed to give momentum to the Dhanteras-Diwali market that traders were expecting in the poll-bound state. Over 1.3 million farmers in the state are the beneficiaries of the bonus. They would be eligible to get Rs 300 per quintal for the paddy that state-run agency would procure at the minimum support price (MSP) in the ongoing kharif season 2018-19. Chhattisgarh is among a few states in the country procuring paddy from the farmers at MSP. This year, the state government has set a target to procure 7.5 million tonnes of paddy. The farmers in the state, that goes to the polls this month in two phases, were the biggest beneficiaries. They were eligible to get Rs 2,070 for a quintal of A-grade and Rs 2,050 per quintal for the common grade. The traders in the rural areas were expecting a big deal this Diwali as the state government was pumping Rs 2.4 billion in the rural economy.