Mexico stresses anti-crime battle
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"We are facing the most unscrupulous criminals who have enormous resources no longer just from trafficking drugs, but also seeking criminal and legal income in the communities they seek to subject," Calderon said.
The president said gangsters are turning to fiercer violence because the stable trade of smuggling drugs into the United States has been weakened by the government's crackdown.
Last week, Mexican authorities found the bodies of 72 murdered migrants who had been held for ransom in the northern state of Tamaulipas.
During the nationally televised address, Calderon also stressed that his government has done much in expanding social security and healthcare coverages.
During past 12 months, the government has raised its social coverage to include every person suffering extreme poverty in the country, he said.
"During 2010 the number of households covered by the Opportunities program rose from 5 million to 6.5 million," he said.
"It now covers more than all the Mexicans living in extreme poverty," he added.
The president also underlined a four-year-long campaign to boost healthcare coverage, including programs that offer medical insurance to the families of all children born in Mexico under his administration and to all pregnant women.
He said that more than 37 million people received medical assistance through the people's insurance.
Calderon also said that under his administration, the government had repaired or built from scratch some 1,800 hospitals or clinics.
On education, he said that almost 30 percent of the young people have access to college education, while only 24 percent of the people aged between 18 to 23 can go to university when he took office.
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