Davos, Jan 27 (IANS): Music composer-director A.R. Rahman Thursday received the World Economic Forum Crystal Award for this year for his contribution to the world of art and culture and for his outreach to improve the state of the world.

"Countries that work to eradicate poverty and help the poor are the best," Rahman said at the annual summit of the forum at this Swiss ski resort after Hilde Schwab, president and co-founder of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, presented him with the award.

"I started this conservatory in my car shed and now want to expand it to a 40-acre land in Chennai because there is no native symphony orchestra in India," Rahman said at the high-profile event.

"You can support the foundation and be part of the music."

The forum also honoured opera singer Jose Carreras with the Crystal Award for his work to fight leukaemia.

"It is our duty to use our popularity in order to give as much back to society as we receive from it. As a cured leukaemia patient, I am eternally in debt to the professionals who helped, and my work is to turn my gratitude into action," Carreras said.

Earlier this week, Rahman had received two nominations for the 83rd Annual Academy Awards for the original score in Danny Boyle's "127 Hours" and original song "If I Rise" for the same movie.

The composer had earlier won a double Oscar for his work in "Slumdog Millionaire" in 2009.

He is vying for the golden statuette for the original score with John Powell for "How To Train Your Dragon", Hans Zimmer for "Inception", Alexandre Desplat for "The King's Speech" and Trent Rezmor and Atticus Ross for "The Social Network" in the original music category.

He is sharing the nomination for best song category with Dido and Rolo Armstrong, who have penned the lyrics of "If I Rise".