AKIPRESS.COM - The Mongolian government on Wednesday imposed a 12-month ban on the issuing of licenses for mineral exploration, Xinhua reported.

"The ban is part of the government's efforts to create responsible mining," the government's press office said in a statement, adding that there were currently 2,889 active mining licenses.

A 40-member working group led by Mongolian Deputy Prime Minister Ulziisaikhan Enkhtuvshin will carefully examine all active licenses in the next 100 days, the statement said.

More than 700 mining licenses have been revoked over the past three years in the mineral-rich country due to the violation of laws and rules.