India, April 4 -- Thousands of employees working under the Samagra Shiksha Scheme have been left without jobs after the programme came to a sudden halt, bringing several key education activities across Maharashtra to a standstill.

The scheme was a centrally supported programme that funded and supported school education from pre-primary to Class 12. Considered a backbone of school education, it helped manage key activities like UDISE+ data management, the School Quality Assessment and Assurance Framework, the NIPUN Maharashtra programme, distribution of free textbooks and uniforms, staff approvals, and efforts to bring out-of-school children back into classrooms.

The scheme came to an abrupt end on March 26, and contractual appointments ...