This paper analyses the nature of casual contracts prevailing in the rural labour market in regions with diverse socio-economic patterns of development. The most important feature of such a labour market is the growth of "group" labour contracts particularly with in-migrants in Meerut. It looks further at interlinked transactions in the agricultural labour market, and highlights the emergence of interlinked transactions in the dairy market of Meerut where agricultural labour households are increasingly getting tied with 'dudhiyas'. Lastly, this paper demonstrates the increasing importance of non-agricultural employment for the labour households and the pattern of diversification of agricultural labour households in Meerut in the form of dairying.
