Vedanta gets composite licence for Punnam manganese block in Srikakulam

A big company called Vedanta got permission from the Andhra Pradesh government to look for manganese in a place called Punnam.

Manganese is a metal that is used to make things like steel.

The land is quite big, about 152 hectares, and most of it belongs to private families and farmers.

These landowners are called pattadars, and their land is called patta land.

The company cannot start digging or drilling on their land unless it asks them first and they say yes.

If the owners agree, the company must also pay them money, called compensation, as the law says.

Vedanta won the right to explore this land at an online auction in September 2025.

The government gave the permission, but the company must respect the rights of the landowners while it searches for the metal.