The veteran sports administrator was the government's choice as the council head, which will have a host of eminent sports persons, including cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar and chess wizard Vishwanathan Anand, as members.
"I congratulate Vijay Malhotra for being appointed the head of All India Council for Sports (AICS). He has been an able administrator for years and will take the organisation to greater heights with his vast knowledge and guidance," Shukla, who is a Congress MP, said.
83-year-old Malhotra, who has reportedly quit as President of Archery Association of India after 40 years at the helm of affairs, will be given an equivalent rank of a Minister of State in the Union Council of Ministers.