GUWAHATI: Completion of projects after laying foundation is the hallmark of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's development model, Union minister Nirmala Sitharaman said here on Thursday.

Sitharaman, the Union Finance Minister, claimed that prior to 2014, when the Modi government came to power at the Centre, foundations were laid but projects were not completed on time.

"The delay in completing projects adversely impacted the country's image, giving the impression that India does not finish its projects," Sitharaman said at the 'Viksit Bharat Ambassador Campus Dialogue' organised at IIT-Guwahati.

"The PM believes that the government will not only lay the foundation but also complete the projects... Northeast has also benefitted from this thumb rule," she said.

The Northeast is an important part in the government's development model, which is evident from the number of times the prime minister and other central ministers have visited the region in the last decade, she said.

"The PM has visited the region 65 times, while other Union ministers have visited 850 times. This shows the government's priority on the region's development," Sitharaman said.

She highlighted various initiatives taken by the BJP in the last decade to make the Northeast an "engine of growth and development".