Computers have become an integral part of our lives. Whether it is in a school, in a business organization or even in a shopping store, you will find computers everywhere.

And that leads us to the fact that the IT sector is one of the fastest growing industries in India now. It has taken India to newer heights and STILL shows a lot of promise. And that is why it is an imperative to learn computers for everyone now.

But even when learning computers is crucial to everyone's survival, it is never possible for a poor person or an orphan child to afford an Apple Mac. And that's where second-hand used computers or computer parts come helpful in order to facilitate the reach of this miraculous device in every Indian household.

But the sad part is that all of these cheap computer accessories and PCs are dumped into India as electronic waste (e-wastes) to meet various purposes. Whether in the orphanage or in a village school, they are reusing someone's 'waste'.

That definitely serves the purpose but does it mean that it doesn't have any side effect at all? No. It does have, and any official at the environment ministry will vouch for that.

All these electronic wastes, including obsolete, broken and discarded electronic or electrical devices end up as dump products, polluting our environment. These sorts of dump products such as RAMs, cathode ray tubes, used computers, etc. contains lead, cadmium, mercury and beryllium which can pose grave health problems unless properly and safely treated.

This is a serious environmental issue and to prevent this, the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) has released a circular whereby it deters from clearing any such dump product import unless it is approved by the Ministry of Environment and Forests.

In fact, it has been found out that the present approximate amount of dump products import in our country amounts to around 50,000 metric tonnes per year, which poses danger to the environmental standards in India.

So, going by the Hazardous Wastes (Management, Handling and Trans-boundary Movement) Rules Act of 2008, any such waste product would require prior approval from the environment ministry before they are cleared by the customs office, and they should strictly fulfil the purpose of recycling or reuse or recovery, rather than just disposal.

Any contravention will be considered illegal and the importer will have to export the dumped item back within a maximum number of 90 days.

That sounds pretty strict and that will definitely make sure that India doesn't turn out to be a massive dumping ground in the future.