India, Aug. 6 -- Diners in Delhi will soon be able to judge a restaurant's hygiene standards before stepping inside, with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) introducing a public grading system under which eateries will be assigned ratings from 'A' to 'D' based on kitchen cleanliness, food handling, pest control, waste disposal and staff hygiene.

Modelled on New York City's health grading system, the mechanism was introduced last month as part of the MCD's first comprehensive revision of operational guidelines for eating establishments, replacing inspection practices that had largely remained unchanged since 1964. Every establishment will begin with a score of 100 during inspections. One point will be deducted for every minor violat...