The granting of the composite licence for the manganese block is contingent upon several conditions. Vedanta, an Indian multinational mining company, has been declared the preferred bidder for a manganese block in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The Punnam manganese block, covering an area of 152 hectares (ha), is currently at the G4 level of exploration, indicating the initial stage of identifying potential mineral-rich regions, reported PTI via the Financial Express. “The company has been declared as the preferred bidder for the Punnam Manganese block in Andhra Pradesh by the Department of Mines & Geology,” the company stated in its Bombay Stock Exchange filing. A composite licence, officially termed a prospecting licence-cum-mining lease, provides the holder with the right to both explore and determine the extent of a mineral deposit.