Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala has replaced the statutory pension scheme with the contributory pension scheme for its new employees joining from next fiscal, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said, prompting protests from the opposition CPI-M.

"This is going to be applicable to only new employees who join service from the next fiscal. And mind you, it's only in West Bengal, Tripura and here that this scheme is not in force," Chandy told reporters after the weekly cabinet meeting.

He also added that this is going to be an additional burden for the state government.

"We have to look forward and hence despite the burden of providing pension to retired government employees, the government will have to provide for the contributory pension scheme also. Moreover this has been on the anvil for some time and it was discussed in the recently concluded assembly session," said Chandy.

The official government order that this new scheme has become a policy came out, on 8 August.

Numerous protests were sounded as soon as this new scheme was announced. Former finance minister and senior Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) legislator Thomas Issac said that this announcement was made without any discussion with the stakeholders and the youths, who will be affected by the move.

G. Sreekumar, a top leader of the CPI-M controlled union of the state government employees described it as a dangerous decision.

"We will have no other means but to protest against this unwise decision," said Sreekumar.

The youth organisation of the CPI-M condemned this new policy and pointed out that it appears the Chandy government has declared war on the aspirations of the youth through this scheme.

Starting next fiscal all new employees who join the rolls of the Kerala government will have to contribute a fixed sum every month and an equal or a scaled up amount would be put in by the state government.