THE Minerals Regulation Commission (MRC) says it has reviewed a total of 462 applications for Artisanal Mining Rights, disclosing that 305 have been approved, 151 deferred, while six have been rejected. The Commission adds that of the approved Artisanal Mining Rights licences, 68 were issued to cooperatives while 237 were issued to individual licence holders. Meanwhile, the Commission says under large-scale exploration licence applications, a total of 164 applications were reviewed, of which 14 were approved, 11 rejected and 139 deferred. Recently, the Commission announced that it had commenced sittings to urgently address the backlog of over 1,672 licence applications that had accumulated since 2025 during the period when the Board was not in place. Speaking during a press briefing,...