Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar Salutes Swapneel’s Parents for Olympic Bronze

Kolhapur : Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar expressed heartfelt gratitude and admiration for the parents of Swapneel Kusale, who won a bronze medal for India in the Olympics. He praised them for raising Swapneel, whose achievement has brought honor to the district, state, and country. Ajit Pawar also expressed confidence in Kolhapur’s potential to produce more accomplished athletes and emphasized that updated facilities will be provided to support sports development.

During the event, the Kolhapur District Central Bank presented a check of ₹1 lakh to Swapneel Kusale’s parents, Anita and Suresh Kusale, in recognition of his bronze medal win in the 50m rifle three-position category at the Paris Olympics. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar personally distributed the check. Additionally, compensation totaling ₹1.49 crore will be given to the victims of the Gajapur incident, with ₹53 lakh already distributed to 20 victims. Checks of ₹4 lakh each were also given to the families of Suhas Patil, Annaso Hasure, and Iqbal Bairagdar, who died in a tractor trolley accident during the July 2024 floods in Shirol taluka.

The event was attended by Guardian Minister Hasan Mushrif, Former State Minister Rajendra Patil-Ydravkar, MLA Rajesh Patil, Collector Amol Yedge, Kolhapur Municipal Commissioner Dr. K. Manjulakshmi, Zilla Parishad Chief Executive Officer S. Karthikeyan, Superintendent of Police Mahendra Pandit, Additional Collector Sanjay Shinde, Resident Deputy Collector Sanjay Teli, and other dignitaries and officials.

Deputy Chief Minister Pawar acknowledged the sacrifices of Swapneel’s middle-class parents, who endured financial hardships to support his Olympic journey, including taking out loans for rifles and other necessary equipment. Pawar announced that a state government program to honor Swapneel will be organized soon.

Regarding the Keshavrao Bhosle Theater, built by Rajarshi Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde assured that ₹20 crore will be allocated by the state government for its reconstruction in the original heritage style, with an additional ₹5 crore in insurance funds. He committed to addressing any potential funding shortfalls to ensure quality construction.

Shinde also urged the Guardian Minister to initiate the erection of a grand statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at the historical site of his final meeting with Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. He mentioned that proceedings will follow court decisions regarding the removal of Vishalgarh encroachments and noted that the World Bank has allocated ₹3,200 crore to improve flood management in Kolhapur and Sangli districts.

Dignitaries from various fields were present at the event.